Akiko can't breathe.

"Mitsumi, tie the datejime tighter."

Akiko winces in pain, her young body constrained by the fabric that her grandmother is ordering the maid to tighten.

"Mother, I don't think-"

Hiratsuka shuts her mouth under her mother's harsh glare, and she can't help but send Akiko and apologetic look.

Akiko hates odd weekends.

Sure, Tanjirou comes down from the mountains to spend time with her, but they're confined within Higuchi's small box. The idea that they must conform to fit her ideals and traditions.

"Tea at 12-"

"-and a walk in the gardens at 3 until supper," Akiko mumbles under her breath. The same schedule since she can remember.

Higuchi nods her head as the orange kimono is draped over Akiko's small body. It's heavy and Akiko doesn't like how her shoulders ache a little.

Obigae, obi, obijime, too many ropes and fabrics for Akiko to count. Her ribs trap her lungs and they start to crush under the pressure. So Akiko takes in small breaths, lifting her chin and trying to squeeze her body smaller than it already is.

Higuchi prides Akiko's long and straight hair, silk like touch and smoothly threading through her fingers like water. It shines thanks to the fact that Akiko was bathed not too long ago, but her skin feels raw and her scalp remembers the nails that scrubbed through it.

She can feel her hair being pulled every which way, clipped and pinned and tied and teased. Hiratsuka sees the pain in Akiko's face but after a while it vanishes, and she's used to the tugging. An elaborate hair piece is stuck into Akiko's wildly arranged hair, but it's heavy and Akiko's neck strains under the weight.

"She's done, Higuchi-sama," Mitsumi says softly, taking a few steps back from her work and bowing lowly at Higuchi's feet. Akiko can hear a satisfied hum from her grandmother as she's inspected once again like a prized object.

"Higuchi-sama, the Kamados are here," Kakera knocks behind the shoji and Akiko cats her head down. She hates the idea of Tanjirou looking at her on these days.

He says she's pretty like a princess, and that he's lucky to be her fiance, and Akiko will strain to smile in thanks, but it just feels like Higuchi is playing with dolls.

Tanjirou is dressed up for these occasions as well. Or, well, as well as he can be dressed up. Akiko knows that she's dressed far more elaborately than need be just so that Higuchi reminds the Kamados that her surname is 'Tamura'.

That her family is rich and they aren't.

It's distasteful to say the least, and Akiko has come far too close to ripping every pin in her hair out or tearing all the ropes constricting her body to shreds.

Akiko's steps are light and small, and it feels like forever before she arrives to the entrance of the house. Tanjirou smiles upon seeing how dressed up she always is, and her strained smile returns once again.

"Be good, alright?" Tanjuro says to his son, who nods his head with excitement. But Tanjuro can see how tired Akiko is, and the most he can do is offer her a gracious smile. Akiko bows her head as low as possible, hands tucked neatly in front of her and her hair ornament dangling in front of her face.

Akiko doesn't want to believe that this is supposed to be how her married life will be.

Tea at 12 and a walk through the gardens from 3 till supper. Asleep by 10 and awake by 6, dressed by the maids by 8 for the day and repeat.

Sure, Tanjirou is by her side, but if Akiko is already so tired of this routine she worries for her future with her fiance.

Tanjirou notices that Akiko is far more quiet than usual today. Her movement is stiffer and she can't keep the conversation going with he. Higuchi isn't eating with the two for the day, so Tanjirou assumed that Akiko would be a  bit more talkative, but that seems to be the opposite case. 

"Are you alright, Akiko?" Tanjirou asks, watching as she mechanically takes a bite of her fish. Akiko nods her head, but Tanjirou can smell that she's lying.

Rather, she's lying to herself.

"Tanjirou, I'm not okay," Akiko bitterly admits by his bedside.

It's been a month since the upper six fight, and Tanjirou continues to sleep in the bed. All the IVs stuck into his arm and the wet towel on his forehead is painful to look at.

Years of lying to herself and she admits it to her coma induced fiance.

Akiko can't breathe.

---

"She's the doctor?"

Aoi glares at the patient, who points accusingly at Akiko. Akiko is in the midst of tugging some gloves on to clean her patient's large gash on his right forearm, but judging by his tone the two can only assume that he's going to refuse treatment.

"You're kidding, right? Where's your real doctor?!"

"She is the real doctor," Aoi snaps.

"A doctor with a patient that hasn't woken up in a half a month? Give me a break!" He points again at Tanjirou, who doesn't even look to be breathing. Aoi looks at Akiko in concern, but Akiko doesn't even flinch under pressure.

"Sir, would you like me to treat you or not?" Akiko asks patiently.

"Where's. The. Doctor."

Akiko leaves the room right after, tossing her unused gloves into a bin with Aoi hot on her trail.

"Akiko, regardless of his poor attitude, we can't just let a demon slayer bleed out!"

"I can't force a patient to receive treatment. He's on his own."

Occurrences such as these have become much more common over time. And Akiko is far too tired to fight them on their decisions. She keeps her mouth shut and restrains her breathing.

As harsh as it sounds, Akiko would rather a demon slayer come to her unconcious. Because then, she wouldn't have to fight them on why she's a more than capable doctor.

Akiko doesn't sound as soothing as Shinobu to convince the male demon slayers. And she's not as stubborn as Aoi to induce treatment.

She's tired of being shown off as a prize. Akiko refuses to alter herself in any way to show her worth, and if her services aren't wanted, she'll draw back and allow her patient to do as they please.

Who would have known that a baby would be the one to help Akiko to breath the least bit.

"Baby! Baby on the way!" Miruna crows right into Akiko's ear, and she bolts up from her napping spot on the engawa. But with half her body hanging off, Akiko can't help but to fall over the edge and land roughly on her side.

She hisses in pain, but there's another thought in her mind that makes her heart pick up with speed.

"I've never helped deliver a baby."

"The baby has a fever," Aoi explains, hands on her hips as she rolls her eyes, and Akiko scrambles back over the engawa.

"Oh thank the gods."

Regardless, Akiko changes into a fresh set of clothes. Babies are fragile, and their immune systems aren't fully developed, so Akiko will have to be much more careful than usual when dealing with the baby.

Akiko walks into the medical ward, eyes barely brushing past Tanjirou as she settles her gaze on two others instead.

There's a tall (tall) woman seated on one of the beds, her hair as pure a white and as soft as a cloud, with eyes so green they remind Akiko of moss. Her arms rival that of Genya's and that alone is enough to impress Akiko.

But cradled within her arms is a bundle of blankets, and a baby red in the face.

"Oh my god are you the doctor? My baby sister is DYING!"

Akiko glances at the baby to see that their temperature is at a solid 100 degrees. The woman stuffs the baby into Akiko's arms, and Akiko blinks in surprise.

"Here, is she dying?! I kill demons but I swear I dON'T KILL BABIES!"  She's a hysterical mess now and Akiko is trying her best to rock the baby, the sound of crying coming from both the demon slayer and the baby.

"Takenaka-san! Please get a hold of yourself!" Aoi scolds before taking the baby from Akiko's arms, seeing the look of sheer panic in her face.

"You too Akiko! Don't freeze up over a baby!" The baby calms down in Aoi's arms instead, but she still fusses in her blanket.

Without the most knowledge on babies, Akiko still attempts to create a medicine to help, allowing the tall demon slayer into the lab so that she knows what's going into the medicine.

"Your sister isn't dying, Takenaka-san," Akiko assures, finishing up with the medicine.

"She just has a fever."

"You can just call me Chiyo. I'm the new forest pillar," she laughs wearily, twirling around in the swivel chair as she patiently waits.

Akiko stops with her work to turn back around, "Tamura Akiko."

"Oh! Oyakata-sama told me that you're the official physician! Oh shit, sorry for going crazy. Ayame is super important to me!"

Akiko cracks a soft smile before Chiyo graciously accepts the bag of medicine.

"I would hope so, considering she's your baby sister after all."

Chiyo gapes at the medicine in her hands, "You're done already? That's so cool!"

"Please give your baby sister this medicine twice a day, morning and night. Make sure she's drinking a bunch of fluids and sleeps as much as possible. I know she won't want to sleep, but it's important that she does," Akiko quickly explains, filling out a piece of paper for Chiyo to remember what to do.

Chiyo nods her head thoughtfully at every word, and Akiko's heart begins to mend.

Without needing to alter herself in any way, her services are accepted and she can breathe again.

"If you ever need anything else, let me know, alright?" Akiko folds her hands into her lap, and Chiyo smiles down at a seated Akiko.

"Me too! Just send a crow and I'll zoom over to help you out, Doctor Tamura!"

Doctor.

Akiko is reminded to write a letter to her father to let him know that she's a doctor now.

"There's no way you're the doctor!"

Akiko flinches as the tray of medicine is batted out of her hands, and the shattering of glass rings through her ears.

"You're the doctor and you couldn't save my leg! Are you fucking kidding me?!" The hunter rips the sheets off his body and Akiko looks at his amputated left leg. It's the best she could do given that he arrived far too late to use it again.

Sumi rushes forward to collect pieces of the shattered cup, but Akiko holds and arm out to stop her.

"Your leg was already infected when you got here. I had no choice."

"Bullshit! Where's all your medicine huh?! Doctors know more than to just saw off someone's goddamn leg!"

Sumi watches with worry as Akiko picks up the pieces of the cup, listening to every word of hate pouring out of the slayer's mouth with nothing to say back. Once she's done picking up the shattered shards, she folds them into a nearby cloth before throwing them out in a bin on her way out of the room.

"Akiko-san..." Sumi calls out weakly, tugging at her hakama. "Are you okay?"

"He's in shock, Sumi. Let's leave him be."

Akiko hates herself for crying by Tanjirou's bedside the night after the slayer leaves.

"Tanjirou, I'm not okay," she cries silently, head buried into her arms near his side as she's afraid to touch the multiple IVs.

"You've been asleep for a month, Tanjirou. I don't know how you got through your day with Nezuko asleep for two years... Your heart stops at random times and you break out into a fever every other day."

Akiko struggles to remember to breathe, hiccuping through her words with hands that shake when gripping the sheets.

"This is such a stupid war... Tanjirou, we're kids and we fight this awful war and I hate it now. I'm so afraid I'll lose you again. But this time, it'll be my fault!"

Zenitsu returns to the estate later that night, and he hates how he can hear traces of Akiko's crying. He finds her by Tanjirou's bedside, her fingers barely wrapped around Tanjirou's own fingers.

He frowns at her sound, regretting not coming back to the estate for so long and leaving Akiko to fight a mental war by herself for a month.

So Zenitsu picks her up and carries her to her bed, tucking Akiko in and wiping the residue of tears from her face.