A/N: I'm reuploading the 3rd chapter. I got a Barks chapter mixed in the end by a mistake and only when I saw you pointing it out I noticed it. Sorry fot that ~sheepish smile~


3.


Sitting on her bed, head tilted, tears drying on her cheeks, Kagome stared at her wardrobe in a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.

Over the last minute the music grew a bit louder, but still remained quiet enough to be pleasant. She still couldn't determine what instrument it was, but it was no difference, actually

The more concerning thing was who was playing it, since she was sure it wasn't her grandpa or brother. Was there someone else in the house? She frowned, since their arrival she hadn't seen anyone else around the house besides her family, the maid and her husband.

As the music banished her distress, at least for now, curiosity replaced it. Was there a secret denizen of the old house? Why was their presence kept hidden? Without thinking about it she wiped her face and sniffed a few times, feeling her previously shaking and tense body relax as the sound washed over her.

She looked at the wardrobe and the wall against which it stood. There had to be a room behind it. Slowly, as if the music was a skittish animal that could be scared by a sudden move, the girl walked out of her room. The melody was barely heard in the corridor as she walked towards the back of it. There was only one door in this part of the hall, the one leading to Souta's room. The wall opposite to them was blank, with no sign of a doorway.

Puzzled, the girl returned to her room and approached the wall behind the wardrobe. one thing was pretty clear, the walk was much shorter inside her room that outside, which meant that most certainly there was another room hidden in the corner of the house.

A room that couldn't be accessed from the hall.

Why? And how someone could get in without a doorway? There most certainly were no entrances from the outside of the house. There weren't even any windows, she was sure of it.

Confused and more than a bit weirded out, Kagome lifted a hand and knocked at the wall. The knock sounded predictably just like a knock to a wall should.

But the music abruptly stopped.

"Hello?" Kagome uttered, feeling foolish. Here she was, standing in the corner of her room, knocking at a wall and calling out.

And getting no answer beside the silence.

Slowly, Kagome walked back to her bed to sit on it, staring at the wall. It looked normal, just like it always had looked. The room was as silent as always, nothing was out of order.

She;d be almost willing to think that the music had been her imagination playing tricks on her, but she wasn't blessed with such vivid imagination. She knew she'd heard a strange flute. She knew there was a closed off room behind this wall, one that had no entrance, unless there was a pair of doors behind her wardrobe.

Which should be creepy, since there was no way to move the heavy wooden furniture without help of at least one person and without making lots of noise. And leaving marks on the floor. In short, there was no easily way inside that room. There was a person stuck in there, for some strange reason, imprisoned in the old house for kami knew how long. Yet somehow it wasn't scary at all, it was intriguing.

Somehow all that had transpired downstairs felt as if it was of little importance. She knew that she wanted to help people and not be tied to a man, she knew that she'd find a way to follow her heart. Almost serene sureness of this fact filled her heart with quiet resolve.

And she was going to find out who was living on the other side of the wall - she was sure there was a someone stuck in there. She just had to move that wardrobe and find out. And when she did, she'd ask how they managed to make her feel so good with only a bit of music.

"I will find a way to move you," she told the wardrobe firmly. "I will solve the mystery."

With that declared, Kagome went out of the room, planning to make some tea to go with the lunch. It was probably high time she started heating the stew. Her grandfather wouldn't have a chance to comment on her being emotional and not having the dinner ready when he and Souta had their break.

.

An ear twitched. A pair of yellow eyes stared at the wall in front of them.

"Sure you will, you Higurashi wench."

.

A whole week passed before Kagome heard the melody again.

It was a rather busy week. The first evening after her failed attempt at convincing her grandpa to teach her, she met up with Souta and her brilliant brother offered to rely all the knowledge bestowed on him by the old priest to her. This way, as he told his suddenly starry-eyed sister, he could make himself remember the teachings better. None of them saw things their grandfather's way, being raised by parents who had been more akin to partners than to a man and his housewife. Of course, Souta wanted something in return - as a result of it Kagome suddenly changed her diet, giving all her cake pieces to the young boy, unless the cake was one of the few Souta didn't like.

The siblings decided to use their walks to exchange knowledge, since they established a new routine of having a walk before supper every evening. It was a bit like their walks in the park that had been located near their old home. Now, walking in the forest near the shrine, the siblings talked and laughed, looking for herbs and interesting rocks. Instead of separating them their grandfather gave them a new reason to spend time together.

Their grandfather seemed to be pleased that Kagome was not throwing any tantrums or trying to make him change his mind. One day, as if to make up for his brash refusal of allowing her to learn, he gave her a painted box of sewing tools, which had once belonged to her grandmother.

Mrs. Higurashi probably didn't even know about that afternoon, busying herself with maintaining the house and the activities of the crochet group, which she joined on invitation from one of her old friends.

Things settled down over this week. The Higurashi house fell into a pattern of predictability and stability, each member of the household taking care of their work, spending their free time in which ever way they wanted. In Kagome's case - when she wasn't taking a stroll with Souta or going with her mother to meet and befriend daughters of her friends - it meant trying to move the heavy wardrobe.

The pesky piece of furniture, old and sturdy, was stubbornly refusing to move more than a few centimeters over this time and Kagome was getting frustrated. A couple of times she was about to ask Hojo to help her move it, but every time she thought about asking someone for help, she felt reluctant. What was she supposed to tell them anyway? There was a music coming from behind that wall a few days ago and I want to see if there are doors behind the wardrobe?

She didn't want to share her secret with anyone. It was her mystery to solve. Well, after solving it, she'd probably let Souta know, but she wanted to be the first one to see if there was a doorway and cross it if there was.

So, a week passed, with no sound from behind the wall.

Until the day when grandpa and Souta went to visit a priest in a neighboring shrine. They were supposed to stay for the night, especially since the weather was rapidly changing from heavy rains to hot and stuffy,.

So, for the first time in a week, Kagome was not going for a walk this evening. She was sorting the balls of colorful yarn from a box she'd found in the attic the other day, when she heard the sound of the strange flute again.

She froze, looking up at the wardrobe in silent shock. It only grew louder in time. It was a different tune from the previous one. The first one had been soothing and encouraging, this one was... playful and daring. She felt as if she was drunk and sober at the same time. She wanted to sing and to laugh and run to the forest, to spin and dance in one of the grassy meadows, knocking the dew from the grass blades. She wanted to challenge the world and its order, to spread her arms and fly, to throw herself on the ground and watch the wild flowers grow.

And most of all she wanted to uncover the mystery of who was playing the flute.

"Um..." Kagome pushed the balls of yarn from her lap, not caring where they fell and rolled away from under her feet. Slowly, she approached the wall next to the wardrobe. The music was so strange, it came back so suddenly and with no reason she could think of.

But it was as real as before. It was not her imagination.

She put a hand against the wall and sighed, feeling the smooth wallpaper under her skin. Then she moved her head closer, trying to peer behind the wardrobe, but it was too close to the wall. She rested her other hand on the side of the cabinet, trying to support herself as she leaned in closer...

Just to stumble and hit her head on the wall when the huge, previously unmovable piece of furniture practically moved out of her way, sliding soundlessly across the floor boards for at least a good twenty centimeters.

"Ouch!" she yelped and rubbed her cheek where it hit the wall.

The music got a bit louder in her ears. It almost sounded amused at the startled girl staring at her hand and arm, that was now outstretched.

"What?" she muttered and experimentally pushed.

The wardrobe slid a bit further, acting as if it wasn't made out of wood, but wool. It still felt like it should, just didn't act like it should. How peculiar...

She felt a surge of excitement rush through her. With a happy, triumphant smile she took a step forward, knowing that she was this one step closer to solving the mystery.

A part of her felt a bit anxious, wanting to go and tell someone about the music and suddenly movable wardrobe. But after a short moment of considering this option, she shook her head, discarding it.

Kagome wanted to be the first one to explore, to solve the mystery. It made sense, it was she who heard the music. It was her room where it could be heard. It felt a bit personal, intimate, a challenge she should face on her own. Besides. Souta wasn't there and he was who she wanted to show the hidden room the most, he'd love to find out that their new house had a secret like the manors from stories.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to alert the others about her finding - most certainly not before she had a chance to get on the other side of the wall. What if somehow the old priest and Hojo family knew of the hidden room and its inhabitant? What if it was their dark secret? What if no one was supposed to know, to learn the identity of the person playing the odd flute?

Then revealing she knew of this would be a disaster - not only would she get in trouble, it'd also most likely mean she wouldn't see the other room. She had to investigate on her own and not alert anyone else. She wouldn't let her anxiety hold her back, when she knew there was nothing bad going to happen. She didn't know from where this knowledge came, as she didn't understand why the odd music still ringing in her ears was soothing her. Her intuition told her it was going to be fine and she trusted her gut. Her heartbeat was fast as anticipation took over.

Mind made, she pushed the wardrobe harder. It slid smoothly, revealing the part of the wall usually obscured from sight and sunlight.

And a door.

"Yes!" Kagome allowed herself a small yell of excitement and a bounce of elation at the sight of the plain door, not unlike the ones that stood between her room and the hallway. She heard the music reflect her joy and she twirled, the skirt of her modest green dress swishing as her bare feet lightly completed the circle. "I did it!"

The flute played a high, almost praising tone and fell silent.

For a brief second she worried the door would be locked and she'd have to look for a key, but as soon as she moved closer to it, she let out a sigh of relief. There was a key in the keyhole, and an odd one at that. It was made out of wood, carved to resemble a cherry flower.

She laid her hand on the doorknob while the other went to the key and turned it. A soft click could be heard as the key turned smoothly.

Kagome looked back at her room, basked in the warm light of the sun. She smiled and took a deep, steadying breath before she pushed the door open, eagerly looking inside.

And as she stepped in, Kagome saw a sunlit forest.