"Satsuki, you're hurting me," he said as they climbed the stairs, but she didn't seem to hear him. Or maybe she just didn't care.
It wasn't until they were back in his apartment, with the door locked behind them, that she finally let go. Haruto immediately clutched his wrist to his chest, flexing his fingers to make sure they still worked. There were deep red marks where her fingers had been, and he wouldn't be surprised if they turned into bruises by tomorrow.
Satsuki saw him examining his wrist and her expression immediately softened. "Oh no, I hurt you, didn't I?" She reached for his hand, but he instinctively pulled back. The flash of pain that crossed her face at his reaction was almost heartbreaking.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean to... I just... when I heard that you'd been with another woman..." She trailed off, wrapping her arms around herself like she was trying to hold herself together.
For a moment, she looked so lost and vulnerable that Haruto almost forgot about the terrifying creature who had nearly strangled Akiko just minutes before. This was the Satsuki he knew - gentle, caring, fragile. The one who made him dinner and helped him study and looked at him like he was the most important thing in her world.
"Satsuki," he started, not sure what he was going to say but knowing he needed to say something.
She looked up at him with those big, sad eyes, and when she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "If you... if you want her... if you need more than what I can give you..." She took a shaky breath. "I could... I could satisfy you. However you want. Whatever you need. I just... I can't lose you, Haruto. I can't."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. The desperation in her voice, the way she was looking at him like he might disappear at any moment - it was heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time. What did she think he was? Some kind of monster who would demand sexual favors just to stick around?
"Satsuki, no," he said, stepping toward her and pulling her into his arms before she could protest. She felt so small and fragile against his chest, like she might break if he held her too tightly. "That's not... God, that's not what this is about at all."
She was trembling in his arms, her hands clutching at his shirt like she was afraid he might push her away. "But you were with her," she whispered against his chest. "You held her. You let her sleep in your bed. You must have wanted..."
"I don't want anyone else," Haruto said firmly, tightening his arms around her. "What I feel for you, it's not just physical attraction, Satsuki. It's so much more than that. What I feel for you is deeper than anything I've ever experienced. It's like... like you're part of my soul."
Satsuki pulled back slightly to look up at his face, searching his eyes for any sign of deception. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her, because some of the tension left her body and she melted back against him.
"Really?" she whispered, her voice full of hope and wonder. "You really mean that?"
"I mean it," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You're everything to me, Satsuki. Everything."
They stood there holding each other for what felt like 15 minutes, neither of them speaking. Haruto could feel Satsuki's heartbeat against his chest, could smell her familiar vanilla perfume, could feel the softness of her breasts.
"There's something else," Satsuki said after a long moment, her voice hesitant. "About that girl. She wanted to take you away from me."
Haruto felt his stomach clench. "What do you mean?"
"She was watching us through your window for at least ten minutes before I noticed her," Satsuki said, her eyes growing cold again.
"Come on, that's a little paranoid, don't you think? Maybe she was just... I don't know, working up the courage to knock on the door or something."
"If she comes near you again," Satsuki continued, her voice taking on that deadly calm tone from earlier, "I'll kill her. I won't hesitate this time."
"Satsuki, no." Haruto grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. "You can't just kill people because you suspect them of having bad intentions. What if you're wrong? What if she really is just a girl with a crush who was too nervous to knock on the door?"
"And what if I'm right?" Satsuki shot back. "What if she's working with people who want to hurt you to get to me? What if the next time she shows up, she's not alone?"
"Please," he said, bringing her hands up to his lips and pressing gentle kisses to her knuckles. "Please promise me you won't hurt her unless you're absolutely certain she's a threat. Real, immediate danger, not just suspicious behavior."
Satsuki stared at him for a long moment, and he could see the internal struggle playing out across her face. Her protective instincts were clearly screaming at her to eliminate any potential threat to him, but she also didn't want to disappoint him or do something that would make him think less of her.
"I promise," she said finally, though he could hear the reluctance in her voice. "But I have conditions."
"What kind of conditions?"
"I want to stay close to you. Closer than I have been. Starting tonight, I sleep here, in your bed, every night. I need to be able to protect you if something happens."
The request sent heat racing through Haruto's veins, though he tried to keep his expression neutral. The idea of having Satsuki in his bed every night, of falling asleep with her warm body pressed against his and waking up to her face on the pillow next to his...
"Okay," he managed, his voice coming out a little rougher than he'd intended. "That's... that's fine."
A small smile tugged at the corners of Satsuki's mouth, and he realized she'd probably heard the desire in his voice. "And tomorrow is Saturday, so you don't have classes. I want us to spend the day together. Just the two of us. There's supposed to be snow, and I know a place up in the mountains where we can watch it fall without any interruptions."
The thought of spending an entire day alone with Satsuki, away from the stress of exams and the threat of whoever might be watching them, sounded like heaven. "I'd love that."
"Good." She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, just a brief brush of contact that left him wanting more. "Now, I think it's time for bed. You've had a very stressful day."