Chapter 26: Ready for Houseguests
Miyuki goes into her bedroom and locks the door to make sure Kaede doesn't come until she's done. She picks up her cell phone and dial's her sister's number. After a few rings, "Hello?" A familiar voice answers the call. "Ai." Miyuki speaks to her for the first in many years. "Miyuki?" Ai is surprised after hearing her sister's voice. "Yeah, it's me." Miyuki said back to her. "I was informed about your situation by Kaede." Ai said to her so far. "Yeah, she told me when she came back from visiting your new place." Miyuki chuckles at that remake.
The phone call lasted for about an hour until Ai seriously told Miyuki to come and live at her house for the time being until everything is taken care off. "Are you sure?" Miyuki is still uncertain about this. "I'm dead serious, Miyuki. My husband and I are going to get the basement straightened up with two extra bedrooms for you and Kaede." Ai said back confidently. "Ok. How long will it take for those two extra bedrooms to be finish before Kaede and I crash in." Miyuki jokes in the end. "Give my husband about a week to get the task done. When it does, I'll let you know." Ai answers the question excitedly.
"I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Miyuki." Ai said after hearing her husband has returned home. "Ok. Bye." Miyuki hangs up her phone and puts it onto the charger pad. Miyuki sighs, 'I don't know what to do at this point.' She thinks to herself. From the looks of her place. She and Kaede have enough stuff from just their bedrooms to take with them to Ai's house. 'Might a well get a few boxes and start packing.' She stands up and heads out. Kaede sees her with her car keys, "Where are you going?" Kaede asks her curiously. "I'm heading out to get a few boxes that we are just taking with us to Ai's place until we get our other things taken care of." Miyuki answers as she gets her jacket and leaves the house.
At the Higurashi house, Ai is down in the basement with her husband doing measurements of the two bedrooms. "Ai are you sure you want to go through with this?" Hige asks her as he begins to put together the wood boards together to make a wall to put in between the bedrooms. "I am, sweetie. I believe that having her and Kaede here is enough to make it up the lost time." She replies as she hands over the nail gun to him. Hige on the other hand isn't too sure about this. He knows that Miyuki would be that one family member who doesn't want to be part of anything ever since her wedding. For now they're just putting up the walls, and find some drywall to place onto the frame. Luckily there was a bathroom in the basement for them to use.
Throughout the week, Hige and Ai resumed their task in the basement whenever they returned from work. Kagome and Sota did a few tasks to make sure that the following weekend will be ready for their guests. So far the walls have been built along with the electrical for the ceiling to have a ceiling fan and a light switch, and a few outlets for the rooms. The flooring is chestnut brown with a huge rug in the middle to give it more character to the room. So far that's all they can do for them because Miyuki and Kaede are going to bring their belongings from their own bedrooms such as their beds, dressers, clothes, and a few other belongings. As such the rooms are basically empty for now.
"Looks good, mom." Kagome compliments the sight. Ai nods. "Such does. We just need to make sure that Kaede and Miyuki are ready to move in. Which is tomorrow. The least we should do is head over with the van so they bring in their beds." Ai agrees with her daughter as they gather the items that were being used to renovate the basement. "I just hope they'll like it when they move in." Kagome places the buckets onto one of the garage's shelves. "Miyuki is the one who wants to make sure everyone is comfortable whenever she has guests. She's been that way." Ai comments gently as she puts the tools back into the racks on the garage wall. They walk back into the kitchen to grab something to drink. "That's nice to hear. Does dad have the van ready? As in remove the seats to make room for their stuff?" Kagome asks her.
Ai nods. "Yes. He also wants us to bring the car to bring my sister and Kaede since the van will probably be full in every inch inside the vehicle." She explains so far. Kagome nods. "Which means that me and Sota need to stay here and clear the way for them to get everything inside and into the basement safely." Ai smiles to notice that Kagome is thinking way ahead. "Exactly. We might as well go to bed because we have to be up pretty early to arrive to pick them up. Kagome agrees with her and they decide to call it a night.
The following morning, Kagome and Sota remain back at the house while Ai and Hige head off to Miyuki's house. "Can't you believe it, Sota?" Kagome keeps her smile as she makes sure that the area to the basement is cleared out for the newcomers. "Believe what?" Sota asks her in confusion. Kagome chuckle. "We finally get to meet our cousin for the first time." Kagome wipes the sweat off of her forehead. "I thought we lost our cousin a long time ago. Before I was born." Sota said to her thinking on what he believes so far. Kagome chuckles at his comment.
"Not Kikyo. Her stepsister Kaede." She corrects him. "Wait she has a stepsister?" Sota didn't see that coming." Kagome sighs at that. "Did mom tell you anything about her?" She asks him. All Sota does is shake his head. "Ok…" Kagome begins to tell him what happened before he was born. "Wow. No wonder how things ended up like that." He never expected that at all. "Yeah so from now on, you are to be nice to them when they arrive." Kagome informs her little brother as they wait patiently for their parents to return with Miyuki and Kaede.
Hige and Ai slow down in the trailer park. "I would never knew that Miyuki would live out here of all places." Hige comments dryly as they look for the house. Luckily, he's the one driving the van while Ai is right behind him. He spots the house on the left. "That must be the place." He said as he pulls up to the side of the room to make sure that he gets the trunk close enough to the front door. Ai parks onto the side of the road at a safe distance. "I told Miyuki that we'd be here by now." Ai tells Hige as they get out of their cars. "I thought that they'd be outside waiting for us as well." Hige responds to that. Ai goes up to the door and knows on the door. Soon enough the door opens to reveal Kaede. "Oh Ai, hello." She smiles. "Hello, Kaede. Is my sister home? I saw her car in the driveway." Ai asks her gently. Kaede allows them in to see that the living room and kitchen aren't packed because they're not going to Higurashi residence. She guides them to Miyuki's bedroom in the back of the house.
Ai stops Kaede as she is about to open the door. "I'll take care of this, go get your stuff into the van. Hige will help you get your bed there as well." Ai instructs Kaede to take care of her belongings. Kaede doesn't argue and leaves. Ai opens the door slowly and quietly to see that bedroom has their stuff packed in boxes as if everything is ready to go. Ai looks around to see the mattress and box spring are on their sides, but Miyuki is nowhere in the room. "Miyuki?" She calls out to her missing sister.
A noise of vomit gets her immediate attention. "Miyuki?" Ai comes to her personal bathroom to see her puking into the toilet. "Miyuki? Are you ok?" Ai comes to her sister's aid. All Miyuki does moan in pain. "Ai…" Miyuki looks up to her in a blur vision. "What happened?" Ai presses her hand onto her sister's forehead. "Oh no, you have a fever." She pulls out her phone. "No." Miyuki stops her from dialing the number. "What happened?" Ai asks her again. "I need to lie down." Miyuki is about to pass out. "Hige!" Ai shouts from the top of her lungs to get her husband.
"Ai? What is it?" Hige was just outside of the bedroom. "I need to take her to the hospital." Ai tells him seriously. "Oh of course." Hige carries Miyuki to Ai's car so that his wife can take her to the ER. Kaede puts her last box into the trunk. So far her boxes and mattress and box spring are in there. She comes back out to see Miyuki in her aunt's car. "Aunt Ai?" She asks worriedly. "Kaede, get into Hige's van and he'll take you back to my house." Ai tells her seriously. Kaede can tell that this is a situation that only the adults will take car of. "Kaede, let's go" Hige gets her attention as he gets the rest of Miyuki's belongings into the van as well as her bed and box spring. Kaede nods and jumps into the passenger seat. 'What happened to Miyuki?' She asks herself in concern.
