Discovered

Around a month has passed at this point. Aoi and Arunika have become more proficient in their usage of magic. Aoi has figured how to use shadow and darkness magic in the light and Arunika has learned how to make a combination of her plant and earth magic, like making a tip of earth on top of vines and creating a whip that can damage targets at a distance.

After Aoi discovered progress on her shadow and darkness magic, she started working around the different usages of her storage magic, but instead of calling it storage magic, she calls it dimensional magic.

It's like she created a different dimension to store items in. She discovered she can actually change the properties of her storage space as well. Not only was she able to increase and decrease the size of her storage at will, but she's also able to keep meat stored without it spoiling and the two have been making a stockpile of herbs, wild vegetables and wild game to survive the coming winter.

As time progressed, the leaves around were starting to change color and the weather was slightly dropping. This was the reason why Arunika had the cycle of going South last instead of now because the climate was a little warmer in this region during the winter months. If they didn't have to run from the enforcement squad though, they probably wouldn't have discovered their little oasis.

"Hey honey?"

"Yeah Aoi-chan?"

"After breakfast, we're going to do an hour of arithmetic and an hour of language. You're making some great progess on kanji, so I don't want to slack since I haven't had the chance to teach you for a few days."

"Watashi no koto o yoroshiku onegaishimasu." [1]

Aoi smiles at her enthusiasm. "Good job, honey. Before you know it, you'll be fluent and we'll start conversing in non-formal Japanese. You've got conversational formal Japanese down. I'm proud of how fast you're learning."

"Hehe. Anata wa watashi sekimen o tsukutte imasu." [2]

"Iine. Jouzu. An informal way you can say it is 'sekimen shiteru' though. It basically means 'I'm blushing'. [3]

"Hai, Aoi-sensei!" [4]

"Oh, don't do that. You know how much calling me sensei turns me on. Especially with our age gap. It's like we're riding a taboo."

"Maybe I want to turn you on. We haven't done anything for nearly a week and I'm getting horny."

"Fufu, give us a couple more days. Luckily our periods start on the same day otherwise we'd be dry for two weeks a month."

Arunika pouts at Aoi's opposition. "We could do it in the water though."

"Not with my abdominal cramps we can't, and we don't have any medicine to tide the pain over." Aoi then flicks Arunika on the forehead.

"Ow." Arunika rubs her forehead where Aoi hit. "Fiiiiine, but we're making up this week for a whole night as soon as-" Arunika stops talking and holds up her hand to tell her wife to be quiet and looks around.

"What is it?" Aoi whispers.

"I heard something and I don't think it's an animal."

The wind started to lightly blow around them. It whipped around and found it's way to their ears where a faint whispering could be heard. "I don't mean you harm. I've come to talk in peace."

The two tensed up and on reaction, Aoi activated her gravity magic around them and prepared her shadow and darkness magic to strike while Arunika created two vine whips to prepare for the invader. Aoi said in a deep throaty growl, "Show yourself instead of hiding then."

"Very well." The wind whispered then died down. Out from the brush a woman walked out. She was surprisingly similar to Arunika but she was taller and slimmer and had a slightly different eye color.

Aoi spoke up in shock, "You're the one who helped us back in the Schulz's Western territory."

"Yes, I am. My name is Eva. I'm here to help. I mean no harm. Actually, I've come to warn you."

"Does that mean the rest of your squad is making it's way here?"

"No, I've separated from them for now. We've split up to search for you in the Southern Territory, and you're lucky I'm the one who found you two."

"Why is that? What do you get out of helping us?" Aoi asked.

"I don't have much time to explain as I'm needed to return by nightfall, but all I can say is if you want to be safe then within the next week, make you're way to the coast connecting the Western and Southern territories. There a ship will pick you up to transport you out of the empire."

Aoi was skeptical and raised the question, "How can we trust you if you don't tell us anything?"

"Haah, Look. all I can say for now is Arunika isn't from the empire. She and her parents are from the Dilmun Island Nation in the Western Sea. I have to go now if I'm going to make it back in time, but please you have to trust me. Promise me you'll try to believe me and meet me at the coast a week from now."

"But-"

Eva raises her hand to interrupt Aoi. "Promise me."

Aoi looks at Arunika with a questioning look. Arunika nods and turns back to Eva and says, "We'll be there."

"Phew, good, I'm glad. I have to go now. If everything goes right I'll see you in a week then. I'll try to keep the enforcement team away from here while you prepare to leave because they've narrowed down this location as one of you're possible hideouts. It should take about 5-6 days to reach the coast from here, so I will try to get you a day to pack and head out. You must leave by midday tomorrow." Eva smiles then turns around. Her white aura glows and a wind whips up behind her creating some kind of ease of movement for her and she runs off disappearing back into the brush.

Arunika turns to Aoi. "I think it's alright to trust her, Aoi-chan. She wouldn't have said anything or warned us if she wasn't trustworthy."

"You don't get it Arunika... She could very well be leading us into a trap."

"I don't know... I just- I feel it. Something inside of me is telling me to trust her with this."

Aoi wiped her face with her palm and sighed. "I'll believe you on this, but instead of possibly being caught by walking there though, we're going to try my wormhole magic. I'm going to spend the day testing it out to see if it's safe for us to travel. Not only will it be quicker but it'll throw them off our trail if we suddenly disappear from the surrounding area. We'll leave before sunrise."

Arunika flashes a smile at the trust Aoi is giving her. "Alright! Thanks for believing in me, Aoi-chan!"

"Of course I should believe in you. Who would, if not your own wife? Come here and give me a hug and kiss then get to packing. We've got a lot ahead of us."

They proceeded to quickly kiss and hug before separating. The married duo go about their tasks with a new determination for the ordeals to come.