“You should change,” Seiho said.
Nagisa blinked, realizing he’d been staring at thetatamifloor. “What?”
“Your clothes are still damp. You’ll catch a cold. Let me put them by the fire to dry and give you a spare set.”
“Right, sure. Thank you,” he mumbled.
Seiho walked to the closet and Nagisa studied him as he pulled out the clothes. His bun was messier than before they kissed, strands of hair falling out of it reaching below the nape of his neck, moving ever so slightly. The image of Seiho playing theshinobueflute came back to him; the mesmerizing sound, the way his hair flew in the purple wind and Nagisa tried to picture him in a golden and red kimono, on a green field, centuries ago…
“You’re the man in the paintings, aren’t you?” Nagisa asked.
Seiho remained silent, returning with the clothes and gesturing for him to lose the damp ones. Nagisa stood, peeling the garments heavy with rain off himself.
“I am,” Seiho replied, and passed him a summeryukatashirt and knee-length pants. “Apologies. These are the only clothes I have.”
Nagisa thanked him. “Why is the jikininki so obsessed with you? There are paintings in every room I checked.”
Another long pause loomed over them as Nagisa dressed. He already guessed something must’ve happened in the past between Seiho and the lord—most likely before he became a monster. After all, who would offer their heart as part of a deal with a corpse-eating ghost?
Seiho placed Nagisa’s clothes on a wooden drying rack next to the sunken hearth. “He’s in love with me. Or, was in love. I’m not sure how much of his feelings remain now that he’s no longer human. As you most likely noticed, the jikininki doesn’t speak.”
So, they’d been lovers. The obsession with the paintings made sense now, though it was a touch too creepy for Nagisa’s tastes. Must’ve been devastating to watch your lover turn into a jikininki—not that he knew how it could happen. And if some of the lord’s mind still lingered hidden under the depth of his monstrous one, he must’ve been in pain looking at Seiho from afar, knowing they can’t be together. Unless... they were? He grimaced at the thought. But if they were, then why had Seiho kissed him?
“That curious brain of yours seems to be coming up with some wild theories.” Seiho smiled. He was back on the floor, prodding the fire with a stick.
Nagisa paled. “Can you read my mind?”
Seiho burst into laughter. “Like I said: wild.”
“Well, in my defense, all that’s been happening here is on a whole other level of weird.”
“True.” Seiho patted thetatamiand Nagisa settled beside him. “I can’t read your mind, but your thoughts are written all over your face. It’s not what you’re thinking, but his love for me is what brought us into this situation and how I came to be stuck in the castle.”
“Didn’t you say you control it?”
“Yes, but it’s more complex than that.”
Nagisa ran a palm over his face, sighing. “Of course it is. How much of what you told me till now is true?”
“Part of it. I couldn’t exactly tell you everything, could I? I’d sound like a madman. Besides, I thought you wouldn’t come back, so there was no point in burdening you with the truth.” He tilted his head and held Nagisa’s hand in his own. “You’re scared. I understand. Stay here tonight and in the morning—”
“No. I came to get you out of this place. I have no idea how, but I’ll get you out. There’s one condition, though.” He raised a finger. “I need to know whether you’re human or not. You said you’re not like the jikininki, but you’re not sure what you are either. It should be easy to figure it out, shouldn’t it? After all, you’ve had a long time to think about it. So stop being cryptic and just tell me if you’re human.”
Seiho chuckled. “You’re very determined.”
“Whether it’s determination or plain foolishness, I’ve no idea and, at this point, I try not to dwell on it. But I am a no-bullshit kind of guy.”
“Fair enough. I’m human. I could be considered a ghost too.”
“Nah-ah, being cryptic again. You either are or you aren’t.”
Seiho’s amused gaze vanished and his shoulders slouched, the tips of his fingers circling the edge of atatamimat. “That’s not how things work for someone like me.”
The sadness on his face made Nagisa feel bad for saying that and he moved closer, skimming his hand over Seiho’s back. But he seemed lost, perhaps to the memories of his past, to whatever tragedy had happened that trapped him here and robbed him of his freedom.
Before Nagisa could think about it, he cupped Seiho’s chin between his fingers and kissed him. Seiho tensed for a moment, then wrapped his arms around Nagisa’s neck, parting his lips and deepening his kiss. From the fervor of his kissing and the way his nails dug into Nagisa’s shoulders, he must’ve craved a human touch for a very long time.
Seiho pulled back slowly, his teeth tugging on Nagisa’s lower lip and he pressed their foreheads together. “I needed that.”