What a Character!

Chapter 2: The welcoming committee

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Summary: Amelia welcomes Ichigo to the school, and after a long first day, she is asked by Ichigo to hang out after school… there she meets all his friends…

Author's Note: This is my first time writing this little do-hickey thing… so I hope I did everything correctly and that you enjoy the second installment of What a Character! I must say this all came to me in a very strange and realistic dream… hmm… I've been reading too much fanfic U_U;

P.S. I'm so very sorry if everyone seems OOC! I just let it go where it wants to…

The rest of the day went by in a blur, of Ichigo carting me around the school, more like me directing him which way to tow me off to, and after what seemed like a million years and a billion strange stares and whispers later, school was finally over. After the last bell for our ninth period class rang, Ichigo stood up, offered his and said simply, "Let's hang out afterschool today,"

"I, uh sure!" I hastily replied to the carrot top, taking a hold of his hand. It seemed almost familiar to me now, since he had been pulling me and me directing him all day, and I didn't hesitate when he offered. I couldn't help but notice the small smile that crept up on his lips.

"What?" I asked him.

"What what?" He replied snarkly.

"You just smiled there," I stated with controlled interest.

"So I did, so I did…" He trailed off and ended with a wide grin, squeezing my hand for reassurance. Surprising me he suddenly barked, "Okay! Let's go!" And yanked my hand, along with me, to the front doors of the school.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I ask as we trot down the sidewalk from the school to the main road.

"I have absolutely no idea!" He replied frankly and looked down to grin at me again. A quiet buzzing was all of a sudden heard and he stopped suddenly to pull a small cell phone from his jeans pocket. He glared at the screen a moment, his hand still firmly clasped in mine. I could feel my face heat up as passer bys stared at us standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Schoolmates gawking were one thing, pedestrians in public was another. I glanced back at Ichigo who was furiously typing on his cell with only one hand. He suddenly stopped, waited a second then snapped the phone shut proceeding to shove it back in his pocket. He then drew his attention back to me and an even bigger grin grew on his face.

" I know exactly where we are going now! Let's go this way!" He exclaimed and trotted off towards the public library, with me in tow.

Entering the library, Ichigo turns and looks at me.

"Okay, now what genius?" I ask him. He just shrugs and starts browsing, his hand still grasped in mine. I gently pull away and state, "I'm going to look at the manga," His eyes widen in surprise and another grin crawls up his face.

"You have manga here?" He exclaims almost a little too loudly, winning a hush from the nearest librarian.

"Er, but of course, I love it!" I hastily reply, because in truth I did love manga, maybe a little too much. This will be the perfect time to show him. I thought to myself. Taking a deep breath, I led him to the well stocked manga isle of the library, making him gasp and have another smile creep up his face.

"Wow, there is sure a lot for an American library!" He exclaimed joyfully.

"Yeah, that's because the librarian in charge of getting graphic novels is my friend, and I usually ask for manga instead of comic books. She always gets me manga so we have quite a collection here," I state nonchalantly.

"You must be someone she likes if there is all this!" He grins again and exaggerates it by sweeping his arm open.

"Tsk, I only have a small say, and our library has a pretty big budget, so I usually get lots of manga to read. Oh, right! I, uh, have something to show you. But you must promise me something," I look at him with eyes of sincerity.

"Alright, what is it?" He replies, slight humor dancing in his eyes.

"Promise you won't freak out. Please. It's a library. And I know it will blow your mind. So, take a few breaths and close your eyes please," I plead him. He's going to need it for what I am about to show him.

"Okay," he replies by closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Already he has put so much trust into me. We have only known each other for a day, but I have known him for a long time now. Longer than he could even imagine. He was so nice, so energetic, so… Ichigo.

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't break him from this little dream he was in.

I didn't want to lose him.

I sighed inwardly and grabbed a random manga off the shelf. To my luck, it was Parasyte, a manga that is hard to get in the U.S., and I placed it into his hands.

"Oh wow!" He exclaimed, "It's not an easily attainable manga here, right? I must say it is one of my favorites."

"It is my favorite, that is why I asked the librarian to get it for me," I beamed at him. We were interrupted again by none other than his cell phone, buzzing in his pocket again. He retrieved it and began typing at a much quicker pace than when he was holding my hand. As he clacked away at the keys, a smile crossed his lips for the umpteenth time today, his eyes glinted, and he snapped his phone shut.

"Put that back, there is something I want to show you," With that he grabbed my hand again, giving me only a moment to shove the book carefully back on the shelf. Exiting the library, he stops again, lifts his arm and waves.

I have a heart attack.

Is that, no, it couldn't be could it? I think desperately to myself. I try to assess the situation quickly, diverting my eyes from the person who was sauntering over from the other end of the parking lot. Sauntering was the most perfect word for the graceful move of those long muscular legs…

"Uh, Amelia? Are you okay?" Ichigo snaps me out of my daze and I immediately take in a deep breath, not even noticing I had been holding it. I curtly nod yes, not moving my gaze from the grey cement beneath my feet. Ichigo lets go of my hand, and only then do I dare look up and see who it was now embracing Ichigo with a brotherly hug. My mouth opens and closes like a loose shutter as I gape at the gorgeous male in front of me. Ichigo turns and comes closer with the male, and I quickly close my mouth to prevent what little embarrassment I could.

"Hey, meet my friend Amelia," Ichigo introduces me to his friend, "Amelia, this is Renji Abarai"