Sanemi Shinazugawa had never been a man who cared about aesthetics. Flowers, decorations, fancy suits-they all fell into the same category of "things that don't matter." And yet, here he was, standing outside a small flower shop with Giyuu, Mitsuri, and an overexcited Tengen, preparing to pick out floral arrangements for his wedding.

It was a situation he'd never imagined himself in, and the absurdity of it wasn't lost on him.

"Just so we're clear," Sanemi muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the quaint shop sign that read Petals of Serenity, "I don't care what kind of flowers we get."

Mitsuri, who was practically vibrating with excitement, clasped her hands together and beamed up at him. "Oh, Sanemi! Don't say that! Flowers are so important! They can set the whole mood of the wedding."

Sanemi grunted, unimpressed. "As long as I don't have to smell them the entire time, I don't care."

"I'm sure we can find something that's not too overwhelming," Giyuu added quietly from beside him, his calm demeanor in stark contrast to Sanemi's gruffness. Giyuu seemed unbothered by the entire situation, which wasn't surprising-Giyuu rarely reacted to anything unless it was life-threatening. Still, there was something different about him today, something more attentive than usual.

Sanemi raised an eyebrow at him. "You actually care about this?"

Giyuu shrugged, his eyes scanning the storefront. "I don't want it to look... wrong."

Sanemi rolled his eyes. "It's just flowers."

"No, no!" Mitsuri jumped in, her enthusiasm undeterred by Sanemi's lack of interest. "The flowers are so important! They'll help bring everything together-the venue, the atmosphere, the colors. Trust me, Sanemi, you'll want the right ones."

Sanemi grunted in response. "Whatever. As long as we're not standing in a damn garden, I don't care."

Tengen, who had been standing quietly by the side, smirked and crossed his arms. "Don't worry, Shinazugawa. I've got some ideas that'll blow your mind."

Sanemi shot him a wary glance. "You keep saying that, and it never makes me feel better."

"Trust me, my floral ideas are flashy as hell."

"That's exactly why I don't trust you."

Before Tengen could respond, Mitsuri pushed open the door to the flower shop, ushering them all inside with an excited wave of her hand. The shop was small but cozy, the air filled with the sweet scent of fresh flowers. Rows of delicate blooms in various shades of pink, white, and lavender lined the shelves, their petals catching the soft afternoon light. A few small potted plants sat in the corners, their leaves a vibrant green that added to the shop's calming atmosphere.

Mitsuri practically skipped to the counter, her eyes wide with wonder as she looked around at the various arrangements on display. "Oh, this is perfect! Look at all these beautiful flowers!"

Sanemi glanced around, unimpressed. Flowers were flowers. They all looked the same to him-bright, frilly, and completely unnecessary. He wasn't about to get worked up over something so trivial.

But Giyuu, surprisingly, seemed more engaged. His eyes scanned the flowers with a focused intensity, and after a moment, he walked over to a small bouquet of white lilies and chrysanthemums, his brow furrowed slightly as he inspected them.

"These are nice," Giyuu said, holding up the bouquet for Mitsuri to see. "But the colors are too... bright."

Sanemi blinked, staring at Giyuu in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

Giyuu nodded, his expression serious as ever. "We need something more subdued."

Mitsuri tilted her head, clearly intrigued by Giyuu's unexpected interest. "What do you have in mind, Giyuu?"

"Something simpler," Giyuu replied, his voice calm but thoughtful. "Nothing too frilly or over-the-top. It needs to be elegant but not... flashy."

Sanemi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Giyuu, the man who barely cared about anything, was suddenly picky about flowers? This was the same man who would eat the most bland food without complaint, who wore the same haori for years without a second thought. And now he was getting worked up over flowers?

"What the hell happened to you?" Sanemi asked, his tone incredulous.

Giyuu didn't respond immediately. Instead, he picked up another bouquet-this one made of roses and peonies-and frowned. "These are too ornate."

Sanemi's mouth fell open. "You're unbelievable."

Mitsuri, clearly amused by the turn of events, giggled softly. "Oh, Giyuu! I didn't know you cared so much about flowers."

"It's not the flowers," Giyuu said simply, setting the bouquet down with a shake of his head. "It's the atmosphere. The wrong flowers will make the ceremony feel... off."

Sanemi stared at him for a long moment, trying to process what he was hearing. Giyuu, the man who was famously indifferent to everything, was suddenly fixated on creating the perfect "atmosphere" for their wedding? It was almost laughable.

But before Sanemi could say anything else, a voice cut through the air from behind the counter.

"You!" the vendor barked, pointing a gnarled finger at Sanemi, his face contorted with anger. "You're the one who wrecked my stall!"

Sanemi blinked, momentarily thrown off by the accusation. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The vendor-an older man with a crooked nose and a hunched back-stalked forward, his face twisted with fury. "You broke half my stock the last time you came through town! You knocked over my flower stand during some street brawl, and now you think you can come in here and buy my flowers for your wedding? "

Sanemi's eyes narrowed, the faint memory of a fight from months ago resurfacing. It had been a minor scuffle-nothing serious-but he vaguely remembered knocking over a flower stand during the chaos. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but clearly, this man had.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sanemi growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't do anything."

"Liar!" the vendor spat, his face red with anger. "I know it was you! I've never forgotten that face."

Sanemi's patience was rapidly running out. "You must have me confused with someone else."

The vendor scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, I know exactly who you are. And you're not getting a single flower from me. Not after what you did."

Before Sanemi could respond-likely with his fists-Mitsuri quickly stepped in, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "Now, now! Let's all calm down. I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding."

"There's no misunderstanding," the vendor snapped, his gaze still locked on Sanemi. "That man destroyed my stall, and I'll be damned if I sell him anything for his wedding."

Sanemi took a step forward, his fists clenching at his sides. "You really want to make this a problem, old man?"

The vendor didn't back down, his eyes blazing with defiance. "I'd rather burn my shop to the ground than sell to the likes of you."

"This is ridiculous," Sanemi muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "I didn't do anything."

"Maybe it was another white-haired demon slayer," Giyuu offered, clearly attempting to de-escalate the situation.

The vendor wasn't convinced. "Get out! I don't care if it's for a wedding. I'm not selling you anything."

Sanemi opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, Tengen stepped forward, his usual flamboyant grin spreading across his face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to get worked up, my friend. I think I've got a solution that'll make everyone happy."

Sanemi shot Tengen a suspicious look. "What are you up to now?"

Tengen winked. "Trust me, Shinazugawa. I've got this covered."

With that, Tengen strode over to the flower display, his eyes scanning the various bouquets with the intensity of someone who was about to make a very important decision. After a few moments of silent contemplation, he grabbed a bouquet of large chrysanthemums, their bright yellow petals practically glowing under the shop's lighting.

"These," Tengen said confidently, holding up the bouquet for everyone to see, "are perfect. "

Sanemi's eye twitched. "Those look like they're about to explode."

Tengen's grin widened. "Exactly."

Mitsuri blinked, her head tilting in confusion. "Tengen, what are you talking about?"

"These are explosive chrysanthemums," Tengen explained, his tone full of pride. "I know a guy who can make these flowers combust in a controlled way. Imagine-right when you say your vows, the flowers explode in a shower of petals and sparks. It'll be the most flashy wedding anyone's ever seen."

Sanemi stared at Tengen, his jaw slack with disbelief. "Are you insane?"

"I think it's brilliant," Tengen said, ignoring Sanemi's outburst. "Nothing says 'love' like a flower that explodes right at the perfect moment."

"Nothing says 'death' like a flower that explodes," Sanemi shot back. "We're not setting anything on fire during the ceremony."

Giyuu, who had been watching the entire exchange with a mix of amusement and disbelief, finally spoke up. "We're not using explosive flowers."

Tengen pouted, clearly disappointed that his idea was being shot down. "Come on, Tomioka. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I'd like to survive my own wedding," Giyuu replied, his voice as calm as ever.

Sanemi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming. "This is getting ridiculous."

Mitsuri, sensing that the situation was spiraling out of control, stepped in between them with a nervous laugh. "Maybe we should stick to something a little more traditional. No explosives."

Tengen sighed dramatically, setting the chrysanthemums aside. "Fine. But you're missing out on a flashy moment."

Sanemi glared at him. "We're missing out on an explosion, Uzui. Not the same thing."

Mitsuri turned back to the vendor, her expression full of concern. "I'm really sorry about the misunderstanding. Could we please work something out? This wedding is really important, and I know we can find the perfect flowers here."

The vendor, who had calmed down somewhat after Tengen's explosive idea was shot down, glanced between Sanemi and Mitsuri before finally letting out a long sigh. "Fine. I'll help you- as long as he stays outside. "

Sanemi's eye twitched again, but before he could argue, Giyuu stepped in. "That's fair."

Sanemi shot him a look. "Are you serious?"

Giyuu nodded. "It's easier this way."

Sanemi growled under his breath but didn't argue. He knew when he was fighting a losing battle. "Fine. I'll be outside."

With that, Sanemi turned on his heel and stormed out of the shop, the bell above the door jingling loudly as he left.

Outside, Sanemi leaned against the wall, staring at the sky as he tried to calm himself down. This whole wedding planning thing was turning out to be way more trouble than it was worth. Flowers, venues, suits-it was all just a giant headache. And now he was being banned from a flower shop over something that had probably never even happened.

He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs as he tried to shake off his frustration.

The door to the shop opened, and Giyuu stepped outside, his expression calm as ever. He walked over to stand beside Sanemi, not saying anything for a long moment.

Sanemi glanced at him, his scowl softening slightly. "What now?"

"Mitsuri is handling the flowers," Giyuu replied quietly. "She's good at this. She'll pick something that works."

Sanemi grunted in response, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good. I don't care what we end up with, as long as I don't have to go back in there."

Giyuu turned to face him fully, his eyes softening as he looked at Sanemi. "You've been putting up with a lot."

Sanemi raised an eyebrow. "You're just realizing that now?"

Giyuu's lips twitched into a faint smile. "No. I've known for a while."

Sanemi let out a soft huff of laughter, shaking his head. "Well, at least one of us is having fun with all of this."

"I wouldn't say I'm having fun," Giyuu replied, his voice quiet. "But I'm trying to make sure things go the way you want them to."

Sanemi glanced at him, surprised by the sincerity in Giyuu's voice. For all his calm and stoicism, Giyuu had been paying attention-he'd been trying to make this wedding something that mattered, even if Sanemi had tried to act like it didn't.

"Yeah, well," Sanemi muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're doing a good job."

For a moment, they stood in comfortable silence, the cool breeze rustling the leaves of the trees around them. The chaos of the flower shop seemed a world away, and for the first time in what felt like days, Sanemi felt a small sense of peace.

"Thanks," Giyuu said softly.

Sanemi nodded, his scowl fading completely. "Yeah."

And though the day had been full of chaos, mistakes, and explosive chrysanthemums, in that quiet moment outside the shop, everything felt just a little bit more bearable.

And maybe-just maybe-it was all going to be worth it.