"Do you wish to help the soldiers that work day in and day out to cut down the things that killed the one you love?"

Akiko has a love-hate relationship with Tokyo.

City life means more people giving less of a shit about you and your lifestyle. But it's fast and it's big and Akiko's eyes struggle to keep up with the latest fashions and trends.

Village life means less people giving more of a shit about you and your lifestyle. Rumors run wild and everyone knows who everyone is. But Akiko is well known, and she's loved by everyone who has taken the time to talk to her.

City life has given her a chance at thinking for herself. She questioned male dominance and found western ideas that agreed with her own, and her parents were fine with her strive towards her own individuality.

She kept this from Tanjirou, of course. She didn't want him to think that she wanted to end the marriage just because she wanted to feel like her own person.

But the reality of the situation is this:

Tanjirou isn't alive anymore, and she has to learn how to function without him.

She can't just feel like her own person.

"Tamura-san? Your answer?" Shinobu startles Akiko, who looks around once more at the wreckage of the inn.

"I... I can help?"

Shinobu smiles, releasing her hold from Akiko's face to Akiko's hands instead. Shinobu's hands aren't rough, but Akiko can feel light bumps and knows that Shinobu works hard behind the scenes.

"Of course! You want to avenge your fiance, correct? Whether it be because a demon turned him into a demon, or because a demon ate him."

"...If you can somehow get my parents to agree, then I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Akiko is surprised at how easy it is for Shinobu to get her parents to agree.

She finds herself, three days later, in the living room right before school.

"Akiko? You have a visitor!" Hiratsuka calls and Akiko rushes down the stairs, already running late.

"Visitor? Mom, I'm late!"

"I can assure you that you won't be late," a familiar voice chuckles, and Akiko stops herself from running out the door.

The small swordsman is enjoying a cup of tea on her family's couch, looking at home and at ease.

"Kochou... Shinobu?"

"This is she!"

Akiko sees that her mother has a letter in her hand, and Akiko sees the name "Ubuyashiki Kagaya" written at the bottom. Ray reaches across the table to shake Shinobu's hand.

"My daughter will be in your care," he smiles, and Akiko's face drains of color.

Shinobu stands from the couch to approach Akiko, who has her brows furrowed and a protest about to arise from her throat.

"You've been accepted to my medical school!" Shinobu says joyously, her hands clasped together as if that's supposed to reassure Akiko.

"You're sending me off?!" Akiko yells at her parents, dropping her school bag and throwing her hands up into the air instead.

Shinobu tilts her head in confusion, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Despite her shock, Akiko knows that she did, in fact, agree to go with Shinobu to study medicine. So she looks down, hiding her embarrassed blush, then slowly nods her head.

"Y-Yeah... I'll be in your care..."

Shinobu brightens once more, and her parents look at ease now that their daughter is complying.

"Good! Oh, I can't wait for you to meet everyone else! You'll all get along nicely, and you'll learn so much! It's a bit of a hands on experience, you know?"

"A bit" is the biggest understatement in Akiko's life.

Akiko later finds herself in the operating room of a large traditional Japanese estate, a white robe covering her kimono and rubber gloves fitted over her hands while she's surrounded by four little girls and a bleeding body.

"C-Can I put my suitcase in my room?"

"Naho, can you do that?" A girl with pigtails address another little girl with twin braids, who nods happily and takes Akiko's big suitcase, lugging it out of the room.

Shinobu hands Akiko a few miscellaneous tools before another man is ushered in.

"This is the doctor! Have fun!"

"Wh-What am I supposed to do?!"

The door shuts closed, and Akiko pales considerably, greatly contrasting her soot black kimono.

'I'm... in hell...'

An hour later and Akiko walks out of the operating room with blood soaked hands. Getting thrown off the deep end is something she's not good with, but if this is how she has to learn, she's going to have to learn how to adapt.

Back when Akiko was in the operating room, Akiko realized that holding a real scalpel put her at more ease than imagining one in her hand, and she was able to drown just about every bit of fear and anxiousness away.

The doctor stood by to watch Akiko and her movements, so the pressure was on. Though she didn't feel it.

The soldier had a deep cut on his arm, his shirt already cut away and on the floor thanks to the little girls. It allowed for Akiko to look at his wound better, although her eyes are blessed enough to not have a problem with something covering the wound.

Akiko had to check to see if any major blood vessel was cut open. Her eyes looked it over, scanned it briefly before she smiled with relief.

Luckily, there was no such thing, and Akiko sterilized the wound before she worked to stop the excessive flow of blood.

The girls were helpful, listening to everything Akiko said and running around to grab towels or new gauze. They would wipe the floor of blood every once in a while and knew to stay out of Akiko's way.

Akiko didn't know what to do after, but when she looked through her tools and saw a needle and some string, she thought that stitching the wound up would be the best option.

The doctor didn't say anything, so Akiko continued to work diligently, gave the soldier 17 stitches then announced that she had finished.

So now, Akiko is crouching on the floor next to the door, head between her knees as she heaves a tired sigh.

She counts her breaths, replaying the last hour in her head over and over again.

Shinobu walks up to the exhausted girl, a tray of tea and rice crackers in hand. Akiko looks up at her, wiping the blood on her cheek off with the back of her hand before following Shinobu down the hallway.

She's led into the bathroom to clean herself up, water stained cherry red as it goes down the drain.

"I heard you did well," Shinobu says the minute Akiko walks out. Akiko shrugs her shoulders, but Shinobu can tell that Akiko is beyond pleased with herself.

So Shinobu places a hand over Akiko's heart, "Remember this feeling. Because you saved that soldier from dying of blood loss, and you saved the people he will later save from demons."

Akiko eats the rice crackers on the engawa, overlooking the garden of the Butterfly Estate. Her mind replays what she just did today, eyes reflecting the tea she's now drinking as her shoulders loosen, tension washing away.

The sound of metal flipping through the air before it's caught catches Akiko's attention, and someone whispers, "Who do you wear black for?"

Akiko startles, nearly dropping the cup of tea. The girl with her hair tied to the side, a butterfly pin catching Akiko's eyes, catches the cup before setting it back down onto the tray.

Either way, the girl decides to take a seat beside Akiko, and Akiko realizes that it might be because she's in her spot.

The girl has dusty peach eyes, an air of thoughtlessness surrounding her. Akiko isn't a big fan of these kinds of people, more so drawn to outspoken people so that it doesn't feel like Akiko has to try hard to maintain a conversation.

Akiko picks her tea up again, taking a little sip before topaz orbs glance over at the girl.

"Tell me your name first," she demands, and the girl looks at her quietly. She makes no move to answer, but instead takes out a coin before flipping it.

It lands tails, and the girl continues to not speak.

'You're... You're kidding me...'

Akiko furrows her brows, lips pressed together as she sets her cup down.

"Her name's Tsuyuri Kanao," another voice says, and Akiko remembers it as the pig tailed girl from the operating room.

"I'm Kanzaki Aoi, by the way," she gestures to herself, and Akiko notices her navy blue eyes.

"Tamura Akiko. Hey, are there other students?"

Aoi looks at her, head tilted with confusion, "Students? If you mean the three girls, then not really. It's just us."

"But Shinobu says that she runs a medical school...?"

Water clashes with light, and suddenly Aoi is chuckling over how slow Akiko is.

"Are you sure Shinobu-sama didn't say that just to get you to come here and work?"

Akiko's jaw drops.

Another ting of metal and the same question from before.

Akiko looks to Kanao before looking down at her mourning attire. Truth be told, she only brought her black kimonos, her mind set to mourn for Tanjirou for the rest of her life.

"Uhm, I dress for my fiance. I don't know how he died, but it was something demon related," Akiko explains to the two girls. Aoi looks sympathetic for a moment whereas Kanao's expression looks unfazed.

Aoi takes a seat on the other side of Akiko, taking a rice cracker to munch on to. Normally, Akiko isn't one to share, but the girl was one of the most helpful in the operating room so Akiko cut her some slack.

A butterfly flies by, landing on top of Kanon's head, who pays it no mind. Aoi takes a look at Akiko, who seems lost in her thoughts again. She's replaying the past hour again in her head, making sure she doesn't forget the way she tied up stitches and the way she stopped the bleeding.

"You know..." Aoi starts again, and Akiko blinks once to clear her head. "This is how it's going to be like. Shinobu-sama isn't one to go easy on us when she teaches, so I hope you can keep up. Otherwise, lives will be lost."

"Also, you're gonna have to stop wearing black."

"Wh-Why?" Akiko is startled once more, face draining of blood and her stomach turning at the idea.

"I know it's hard for you, but think of the other demon slayers! What would they think if they're treated by a woman in mourning? The uniforms are already black, but seeing our doctor wear black? As a future demon slayer, I would think that you're already mourning our lives!" Aoi cries out and Akiko bites her lip.

Akiko doesn't want to.

That's as frankly as she will put it.

She just doesn't want to.

Three to four months isn't enough time for her to mourn. Not at all.

"I- I don't think I can-"

"Well you aren't here to mourn, are you? Shinobu-sama must have brought you here for a reason."

To be independent.

Akiko is studying medicine to be useful and help the demon slayers.

To avenge the whole Kamado household.

Because Tanjirou isn't alive anymore, and she has to learn how to function without him.

She can't just feel like her own person.

The look in Akiko's eyes change and Aoi seems satisfied by the change in vibe, choosing to stop talking and look out over the garden again.

Akiko wakes up at 5 in the morning the next day to a crow's caw.

Her heart stops, but Aoi slides her room door open to call for her and she's set back into motion.

"We have another patient. Get dressed," Aoi says before shutting the door once more.

This time, Shinobu is in the room with Akiko. She's scurrying in a corner, mixing liquids together. Akiko can see the labels, reading them one by one as her mind begins to put the pieces together.

"Patient was poisoned?" Akiko asks, figuring out that Shinobu is making an antidote and Aoi begins to cut the shirt off the demon slayer on the table.

Her breathing is labored, and she's sweating bullets. Akiko sees the nasty puncture on the girl's lower left abdomen, and there's pus and blood spilling out.

"Akiko, thoughts? How would you approach this?" Shinobu asks aloud and Akiko realizes that class has started.