Okay.

So pause scene.

Imagine this.

A buff old man (we'll say he's old because he has white hair) suddenly snatches up you and your friends for an unexplainable reason.

But your other friends that didn't get snatched are being the absolute angels that they are and run down the old wack job to try and avenge you.

And then your fiance since birth (different story) walks into the scene, and he doesn't know what the fuck is going on.

Okay.

Resume scene.

"He's kidnapping us!!" Akiko yells out, her face red with either anger or embarrassment she can't tell.

Tanjirou acts instantly, launching himself at Uzui with full intent on headbutting the hell out of him. But Uzui is too fast, and Akiko tries her best to kick the hems of her dress down to make sure she isn't flashing anything. She kicks her feet wildly when she finds that the three of them are on the roof of the estate.

"UZUI TENGEN YOU BETTER COVER MY ASS RIGHT NOW!!"

"I am the 'former shinobi' Uzui Tengen-sama-"

"DON'T IGNORE ME! AND DON'T ADD -SAMA TO YOUR NAME YOU CREEP!!"

"Dear lord SHUT UP! Here, you brat, jeez!" Uzui brushes her skirt over, pauses, then gives Akiko's butt a slap before laughing, claiming it to be rather flamboyant.

Akiko nearly goes mental at the harassment, and Tanjirou looks like he's about to shoot himself up to the roof and give Uzui more than just a headbutt.

"You're a pervert!" Kiyo yells from the ground.

"Who do you think you're mouthing off here!! I have superiority! I'm a pillar you jackasses!"

"I don't accept you as a pillar! Hmph!!"

"DON'T YOU 'HMPPH' MEEE!! DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T ACCEPT ME?! YOU LOWLY BRAT!! IS YOUR BRAIN COMPLETELY DEAD!? I NEED A GIRL MEMBER ON THE MISSION, SO I'M BRINGING THEM ALONG!! I DON'T NEED KOCHOU'S PERMISSION IF THEY AREN'T TSUGUKO!"

"Akiko-san can't fight! She's a member but she doesn't have a uniform! She's a doctor!"

"Don't need her then."

Akiko screams as she's flung off the roof and she roughly lands in Tanjirou's arms. Any other person would flush, but Akiko's far too mad to even think about her cute situation.

She shoves herself out of Tanjirou's arms, jumping up and down and yelling at Uzui to come down from the roof so that she can deck him in the face. Kanon stares in bewilderment, wondering why Akiko is so prone to abandoning 'Do no harm.'

Even Tanjirou doesn't know what to do, staring at his fiance with wide eyes as she unleashes another side of her that he's never seen before. Sure, she has her tantrums, but this is much more justified.

"Shut up you nerd! I'm taking this one on my mission. She's a hunter regardless."

Akiko can see the look of panic and fear on Aoi's face, so she takes a few deep breaths to calm herself and approach the situation differently. She has no time to yell at Uzui, and despite the fact that he's an adult, he acts like a child.

"People have their own circumstances, Uzui. Let the girl go."

Uzui blinks owlishly at her sudden change in behavior, her eyes slanted up at him with long lashes barely brushing her cheeks. Mouth a fine line and her hair disheveled, but it makes Akiko look all the more dangerous.

Tanjirou can smell the withheld fury from Akiko, and the fact that she's harnessed enough control to reign her emotions back in frightens him. This anger is much more dangerous than her lashed out one, and everyone feels as if they're seeing Akiko reach a new peak of anger.

"We'll go in Aoi's stead!" Tanjirou interjects, just as Zenitsu and Inosuke hop onto the gates.

They aren't in any way injured, and she sees that Zenitsu killed three demons and Inosuke five. She can't help but tilt her head in confusion at the new piece of information her mind is filled with, but Akiko can't take that time to care as she watches Aoi rush into Kanao's arms.

Akiko quietly asks Kanon to make some lunch for the girls to calm everyone's nerves, and Kanon nods her head in understanding before hurrying off. She then sighs, walking over to her dropped umbrella before picking it up, when she sees Tanjirou out of the corner of her eyes.

"Are you okay Akiko? He dropped you rather harshly..."

Akiko looks at Uzui, who waits impatiently outside the gates, before rolling her eyes at him.

"I'll live. It's no big deal. I'm just afraid that the girls are mentally scarred or something along the lines... What? What's wrong?" Tanjirou is staring at her, and Akiko can't help but wonder why.

He wakes up from his spaced out state, blushing a bit and kicking some rocks on the ground as he looks away.

"Sorry it's just.... You look really nice today!"

Akiko can't help but flush, immediately opening her parasol in front of herself to hide her face. Kiyo, Sumi and Naho giggle nearby, and Akiko nearly turns around to glare at them but she's far too busy hiding herself.

And as if some higher being grants Tanjirou with all the courage in the world, he pulls the umbrella down a bit to see her red face, smiling softly before saying, "It'd be a shame if I didn't get to see my fiance's face before I left."

Now Akiko can hear Kiyo, Sumi and Naho squeal with delight as her eyes widen and she's nearly brought to tears with embarrassment. Tanjirou starts to laugh, finding that her red face compliments her amber eyes nicely, and he cups Akiko's face into his hands before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be off!" He gives her one last smile, waving at Akiko and running out of the front gates.

Akiko's holding her forehead, staring off into space as her brain slowly but surely processes everything that's just happened. And once everything loads in, her heart ascends.

Akiko smiles.

---

"Himi Miyuki is on her way! Deep laceration on her lower left quadrant!"

Akiko's eyes snap open, her back aching from accidentally passing out on the wooden engawa. She quickly tries to rub the sleep from her eyes, stumbling to her room to change out of the light green dress she still dons.

It's only been a couple hours since Tanjirou's departure, and she's back to work. But what else is there to do?

So Akiko yanks on another poet's shirt, ties her hakama around her waist, and allows for Kiyo to help her with her robe and gloves. Sumi and Naho rush to gather towels upon seeing how severe the wound is.

Shinobu stands by the entrance, waiting to welcome the house's newest patient. Everyone is surprised to see Sanemi helping the injured girl up, and Shinobu decides to poke a little fun.

Embarrassed, Sanemi leaves Miyuki in the hands of a more than capable lady to help fix her up, and she orders the girls to help drag Miyuki's pale body to the table.

Akiko's eyes do a quick once over, and information she's never picked up before flood her senses.

Miyuki has just killed four demons before one caught her by surprise. She's lost about 1200mL of blood, and Akiko orders the girls to elevate her legs once she's on the table. Miyuki's blood pressure is 90/70, and her breathing is so shallow it's worrisome. Her heart beat per minute is 60, and her skin looks ashy and waxen.

Akiko knows that Miyuki's body temperature is naturally low, but that doesn't mean she likes how Miyuki's body is at a solid 90 degrees.

So the girls are instructed to place a blanket over her feet and arms too, and Akiko cuts away the cloth surrounding the large gash. Aoi ties a mask around Akiko's face, unrolls the sleeve of scalpels lined up in the bamboo sheet, and Akiko gets to work.

Miyuki stays silent, dazed by the anesthesia, but still conscious.

Akiko works diligently as always, hands moving swiftly to stop the bleed and making sure there isn't any debris left in the wound. It's a simple procedure, though trickier thanks to Miyuki's naturally cold body.

But once she's done, Miyuki is able to form phrases and sentences, the anesthesia wearing off.

"I wonder if Sanemi has ever been in love?"

Not even a thank you...

Miyuki flinches slightly under the glare Akiko casts her way, the scalpel glinting menacingly under the bright light, but Akiko throws her a bone, asking what she means.

Their conversations dips into the topic of love in general, albeit Akiko is in no way an expert, but she entertains the idea with Miyuki. Shinobu, ever so quiet in the corner of the room, even steps in to offer her two piece on the subject.

Aoi cleans the blood on the floor while Shinobu checks the IV of blood and medicine she finished making in her corner, and Miyuki finally throws her hands up into the air.

"Well then fine! Maybe I do love Sanemi! Fuck whatever my step monster has to say!"

Shinobu laughs, "What a surprise!"

Akiko can see the lie.

At any rate, she sighs, glancing at the clock in the room to take note of the time. She blinks owlishly at it as the date comes to mind.

If she's right, Genya should be coming in today.

Akiko peels her gloves off her hands, removing her mask as well while the girls untie the robe off her from behind before she says, "Well, congrats on the realization, but I gotta go have my monthly appointment with-"

Genya.

He's standing by the doorway.

Sumi and Kiyo are right behind him, some newly washed rags in their hands before they step into the room again to keep cleaning the blood, and realization dawns on Akiko.

"Uh, gotta go!" Akiko shoves a startled Genya out of the room and down the hall, quickly bombarding him with questions to try and make him forget about Miyuki's feelings for his older brother.

Genya is shoved into her office and she scrambles to find his documents. It's an organized mess, and she knows that she should clean it up, but between 20 minute naps every hour or so and working for a whole 12 "shift" sometimes, it's nearly impossible for her.

Akiko sits Genya down on a chair, eyes brisking over his figure as statistics fill her mind. It's overwhelming for her, and she shuts her eyes for a few seconds to clear her head. It continues to race with the adrenaline, and she starts to count her breathing to reign it back in.

"What was that before? And are you- Are you okay?" Genya asks, blushing when she offers him a polite smile. Her usual business smile in the face of patients.

"It was nothing important. No need to worry about me, either. You have a gash on your left arm so I see you haven't been eating too many demons. Two in the last month?" Akiko flutters her eyes to clear it again, her mouth spewing words faster than she can properly think.

Genya stares at her wide eyed, astonished.

"Y- Yeah... How do you know?"

She pays him no mind, scribbling the information down with creased brows. Genya isn't all too used to this version of Akiko. Sure, she's serious, but not with him. She makes no move to tease him, quickly jotting down information and asking Genya to confirm the information.

Every time, she hits the nail on the coffin. It's like she's unravelling his life in the past month, and Genya is almost frightened of her.

"Himejima hasn't let up easily on you. Your biceps are 42 centimeters wide now... He still has you pushing that big rock, hm? Please tell him that misogi is not the proper way for you to rest your body," Akiko sighs, rubbing at the bridge of her nose.

She's done with her checkup within a few minutes, taking no time to prod at his body and instead glancing at his limbs then writing numbers down. She then quickly stands to a small cabinet on her desk, pulling out a small roll of bandages and some alcohol and cotton balls.

Akiko frowns at the little bit left in the jar, and the fact that she barely has any bandages left. It's just enough to help patch Genya up with, but she'll have to go out and buy some more in the local village after she's done.

"At any rate, I'm just going to wrap up your wound and then send you on your way. Sorry I was late for the appointment this month," she's about to unbutton Genya's uniform for him, but he quickly stops her with raised hand and a mad blush.

Akiko pauses, quickly apologizing for being so forward, and allows him to remove as much of his uniform as he is comfortable with so that she can clean his cut.

Genya looks everywhere but Akiko. She knows that he's an embarrassed mess around any female, so she's quick to finish up her work and allows him to shrug his uniform back on.

"Do you want me to walk you to the entrance?" Akiko asks Genya, who shakes his head. She shrugs in compliance, apologizing for making him travel all the way to the Butterfly Estate for such a short checkup, and waves as he walk down the hall and out of the estate.

Once he turns the corner, Akiko makes her way to the kitchen to find Kanon. The pinkette is looking through the pantry with a troubled look on her face.

Akiko's eyes are given a rest when she looks at Kanon, and it's most likely because Kanon doesn't kill demons for a living and lives a peaceful (or, as peaceful as it can get) life at the estate.

"Are we out of food?" Akiko asks, and Kanon jumps at the sudden presence of the ginko eyed girl.

Kanon nods her head and Akiko frowns, but the timing couldn't be more perfect.

"Alright, let's go shopping together."

Of course, Shinobu feels against this idea considering the town is an hour walk away, and if they aren't quick enough, it'll be dark.

"Perhaps someone else should go with you?" She suggests, and Akiko sighs.

"I think we'll be more than fine. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll bring my tools. If Kanon trips over a rock, I'll save her from bacteria."

Akiko can see the irritation radiate off Shinobu, so she quickly hikes up her bag, shoves a good amount of money in, and meets Kanon at the front door.

Akiko doesn't like the way Miruna circles above their heads.