AN: I wanted to write a bookshop AU. LittleSparrow/lloydthedeciver told me I should create an Owari no Seraph AU with Shinya and Guren in which Guren has a prosthetic limb. Yu and Mika obviously had to be added to the mix, and so did everybody else. And so this was born.

Guren's experiences regarding his missing leg are taken from the experience of one below the knee amputee - and may not be 100% accurate to everyone. Shinya, however, knows very little about Guren's situation and so his opinions are likely be wrong.

Everyone has a role in this story and will show up sooner or later.

I hope you enjoy reading ^_^

Shinya was rearranging the display in his shop window when the bell over the door rang. It was a stormy Tuesday afternoon. He'd served maybe two or three customers in the past hour – the last half an hour earlier. On slow days like these, every rare occasion that the bell rang, he found it harder not to drop what he was doing to spy on whoever had entered.

One of the best parts of running a bookshop was the people. His brothers regularly joked about when he was going to enter a respectable career path or at least make the bookshop a successful business but that wasn't what Shinya was in this for. In his line of work, stories were everywhere you looked from the books on the shelves to the people perusing them. He liked to observe the customers as they came in, guess the section they would gravitate towards, consider what might catch their eye. He felt he could build a good picture of a person by what they handed him over the counter and the way in which they did it.

The man who had just entered for example brushed at the hail-stricken shoulders of his coat as he wiped his feet. He stood tall, shoulders back, moved from the mat with a measured stride. A military man perhaps? Policeman? A background in which good posture was taught at the very least.

His dark hair was damp and bedraggled, probably not a good feature to judge by. His nose, as he brushed away the strands that clung to his forehead, was dusted pink by the cold. Shinya watched purple eyes scan the shelves.

It was a tough one, this case. If he was browsing for himself, Shinya would have guessed something action based, perhaps historical. Men who seemed military normally went for things like that. But something told him that this time, it wouldn't be the case. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking.

Either way, this customer had piqued his interest on an otherwise dull day. He quickly finished adjusting the position of the Complete Illustrated Works of Shakespeare in the window and returned to the counter, where he would have a better view of the unfolding mystery.

Now that he was closer, he could build a clearer picture of the man with purple eyes. Based on his face and stature, Shinya would estimate the man in his early to mid-twenties. The shadows beneath his eyes told him that the man was perhaps having difficulty sleeping – working too hard? The man blinked up at the Scientific Reference section and shook his head, his handsome face falling into a frown. Working too hard.

As the stranger hastily moved on, Shinya noticed a misstep. Perhaps an injury? Sport or work related? Either way, probably old. Now that he looked more closely, the man's left leg moved stiffly. Whatever it was, it was still healing. Perhaps that was what he was looking for, something medical? Physiotherapy exercises?

He stopped at the Parenting section. Of course. Somebody with that face would almost definitely have a partner. It was an incredible oversight to not factor in that a lot of people their age were now starting to settle down, get hitched, have babies (planned or otherwise). Shinya supposed overlooking those things was a hazard that came with being the gay relation of the Hiragi family.

Regardless, all the signs were there – circles under the eyes, being able to visit the bookshop at 4:45pm on a Tuesday, being a stereotypically attractive man at what his sister often called 'the perfect marriageable age'. The mystery was solved and Shinya's disappointment at the loss of the man as his mystery was great enough to hold back a sigh.

Shinya and the customer deflated simultaneously. Shinya lifted his eyes from the counter just in time to watch the man rub at his temples. Poor guy. His mind was probably addled from lack of sleep and the weight of responsibility that came with a newborn child. Shinya took pity on him.

Moving around from his counter, carrying a couple of books to be placed on the shelves, he said, 'Need any help?'

The guy jumped. It obviously had not been a good day for him. 'Oh… Just looking for something-' he made a vague gesture with his hands ' –you know.'

Interesting, perhaps this man didn't want to admit he needed help caring for his child. Shinya pressed a little harder. 'New parent?'

Shinya stood next to him now, books held under one arm, the other hand tracing spines along the shelf in the air as he searched for the right place to put them. He and the customer were around the same height. He watched with a smile as the stranger's face formed an awkward frown. Purple eyes met his properly for the first time. Up close, Shinya could see why he was spoken for. That sharp shade of purple belonged in a novel.

'Yeah, something like that,' he answered with a shrug of the shoulders.

Shinya raised his eyebrows.

The man's gaze drifted back to the bookcase. The glare of bright colours that screamed 'child related' made his skin seem paler than it had earlier. Another frown flickered across his face. Shinya almost thought he wouldn't answer, but then he spoke.

'My sister's kid… hasn't got anywhere else to go, so I…' He looked up, his eyes meeting Shinya's as though they wondered why he'd told him all that. With another light lift of the shoulders, he added, 'He's twelve.'

Something in those eyes seemed to pin Shinya and for a moment, he felt at a loss for what to say. It flashed in front of him like a half-remembered book – the family tragedy, the tortured child suddenly left with an uncle, having to grieve for their mother/sister together.

He remembered his job. This was not fiction. This was a stranger in a bookshop looking for help handling a twelve year old boy.

Well at least he'll be skipping the terrible two's. Shinya would have hit himself if he'd spoken that thought out loud to this total stranger.

'Well, if you're looking for more general things to do with his age group, there's this or this.'

Balancing books on his hip, he plucked a couple of books from the top shelf, handing them to the customer for his appraisal. That done, he moved around him, gesturing to be followed two bookcases down to the section marked 'Therapy'.

'Otherwise, for more specific issues with a kid in his situation, you might find something useful on the second shelf down?'

The man flipped over the books in his hands, quickly skimming blurbs while Shinya waited patiently. The tension in his shoulders had drawn them upwards. Whatever the situation was, it was likely tough on him – at the very least, he wasn't comfortable seeking complex or tailored assistance with it.

'These seem good,' he said, then louder, 'I'll take these.

Shinya smiled, took the offered books back into his hands and said, 'If you'd like to come this way,' as he led the man back to the counter, where he could scan the items in.

He ran on autopilot, reeling off the price as he did many times a day, every day, looking up from the till to the man who took cash from his wallet expectantly. Something about this eyes still interested him, gave him reason to pause as he reached for the button to open the till. They seemed somehow lighter than they had when their eyes had first met. It occurred to Shinya that he didn't even know the man's name. It seemed suddenly important that he should do.

'We do a loyalty card, if you're interested. Each item purchased earns a set amount of points and points can be exchanged for books or stationary. You can also opt to receive our monthly newsletter, which contains information on events held here and special offers we might have.'

Finishing his piece, Shinya found himself looking at an expression he would not have expected to see on the man who had entered the shop just a few minutes ago. The corners of the stranger's lips had quirked upwards into a loose smirk, one eyebrow raised.

Almost lazily, he said, 'Do they pay you extra to sell that crap?'

Shinya was taken aback. He hadn't expected this from the serious looking stranger but somehow, it was refreshing. Shinya found himself fighting hard to not laugh. He maintained his professional façade, the only difference to demeanour being the alteration of his smile to a smirk. 'I'm not selling it; it's free, and I'm the owner of this shop.'

Shinya wasn't sure what he had expected. Perhaps to shock the man, perhaps a hurried apology, perhaps a return of the awkward look he'd been given earlier? He got none of that. For a brief moment, the man's eyes widened. Then his eyebrows rose and he nodded. And then, he clearly lost the internal battle he was having as he bit his lip.

He threw back his head and laughed. Shinya stood in disbelief. Something about the stranger's laughter made him want to join in, made him feel less like a stranger but somehow more of one. More than ever, Shinya wanted to know his name.

'Hey, it's a good deal,' he said with a smile that was softer than it should have been.

'Right, right,' the man replied with a wave of his hand as he continued to chuckle.

'Especially if you have a twelve year old living with you. Kids need reading material, you know? Wouldn't want his education to suffer now, would you?' Shinya pressed with a wink.

Something about the situation made Shinya feel giddy. He blamed the man's infectious laughter, and leaned on the counter.

'Alright, fine,' the man answered, the laughter gone but in its place a grin that held all the sentiment the laughing had.

An old teacher of Shinya's had told him once that a smile really could brighten a room. Shinya maintained the view that this was nothing more than a cliché in writing, but couldn't deny that this smile had certainly brightened his afternoon.

'I'll sign up,' the man continued. 'What do I have to do?'

Those purple eyes met his again, this time amused, contented. Shinya did not bother with his usual spiel about how it would only take a minute. The longer it took, the better it felt his afternoon would get. Instead he slid the form across the counter with a pen.

'Fill in your name, email and current address – and then tick the boxes at the bottom.'

The man picked up the pen in his right hand and began to fill out the form. Shinya restrained himself and chose to slip the purchases into a carrier bag rather than watch the stranger's name appear on the page.

'Do you do this to every customer you get or am I just lucky?'

The man's voice surprised him. Turning back to the counter, Shinya saw that he was nearing the bottom of the form and still doing that smirk that seemed from their short encounter to be his resting smile.

'I certainly try,' Shinya replied, his own professional smile becoming something more teasing. 'Although most of them don't refer to it as 'crap' or burst into laughter when I ask them about it.'

The man snickered and ticked the box to receive the newsletter. Shinya felt a victory had been won.

'Here you go.' The form was slid back across the counter.

Shinya left it where it was,

'Which colour do you want your card to be?'

'Surprise me.'

Looking at stacks of cards beneath the counter, he almost selected purple, but paused at the last moment and chose the pale blue and white tiger design. Holding it out to the stranger, he asked, 'Is this alright?'

The man nodded, 'Just fine.'

Shinya keyed the code on the card into the system, wondering whether the man would make more small talk. He didn't. Shinya noticed him shifting from one foot to the other. Perhaps he had somewhere to be?

'There,' Shinya said and handed the card over. 'You have 20 points.'

The man slipped it into his wallet. 'In normal terms?'

'Just a few you pages of a book, I'm afraid. I guess you'll have to come back and spend more to make it a whole one,' Shinya said as he held the handle of the carrier bag out for the stranger to grab.

The man laughed, his hand brushing Shinya's as he took the bag. He didn't seem to notice the contact. 'Yeah? I guess I will. Later then.'

With that he spun on his heel and moved away.

Shinya's voice followed him: 'Have a nice day.'

Shinya watched him go, noting an increase to the stiffness of his leg, his straightened shoulders, the way his hand lingered on the door handle. He wondered if he would see the man again, add more to his picture of the stranger's life. His eyes dropped to the form by his elbow.

'Hey.'

The man's voice was unexpected. Shinya's gaze snapped to the door. The man stood with his hand still pressed to the door handle, looking over his shoulder at the bookseller.

'Hm?' Shinya replied with his working smile.

'Your name. I didn't ask for it.' Blunt, to the point.

'It's Shinya.'

The man nodded, smiled a smile that turned into a smirk, 'Well, thanks, Shinya.'

And with that, he pulled open the door and was swallowed by the haze of rain. Shinya found himself smiling as he picked up the man's form.

'Guren Ichinose, huh?'

He pulled up the loyalty card system and prepared to enter the information. Guren Ichinose. Shinya couldn't help but think that future shifts would be much more interesting if the man did come back. He was surprised to find that a distant part of him believed it was inevitable. He shook his head. How funny; that would be thinking like a story book.

Still, he supposed, time would tell.

I hope you enjoyed ^_^

The next chapter is already in the works and will be told from Guren's perspective. Introducing Yu...

Comments and criticism are always greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading! :)