Author's Note: Well, this is something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I love this song, and I love this pairing, and I just haven't been able to get it out of my head for the longest time. So here it is, from me to you. Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH, nor do I own this song. If I owned BLEACH, Ichigo wouldn't be able to walk straight EVER, and Grimmjow would be MINE!!!!!! Lol XD. Don't sue, or I'll hunt you down and kick your ass for being such a dipshit. ^^

Blah blah blah = Lyrics

Blah blah blah = Inner Hollow / Shiro

Blah blah blah = Vizard with the mask on

Blah blah blah = Normal speech

Blah blah blah = Zampacuto speech

Shackled

For so long my life's been sewn up tight inside your hold,

And it leaves me there without a place to call my own.

Shiro ran a hand through his hair and glared at the tall brunette.

"You can't protect him forever, old man. Our King's too stubborn for that," he said, his face void of emotion.

The man smiled sadly and adjusted his sunglasses. "I can try," he replied softly.

As the rain began to fall, Shiro faced the sky and sighed. "Have I told you that I hate the rain, king?"

I know now what shadows can see,

There's no point in running 'less you run with me.

"Come on, King! You expect to defeat me with that toothpick?!? I'll defeat you and then I'll be king! You don't even really know how to use Zangetsu!" Shiro goaded his king, with Zangetsu watching the fight impassively from a distance.

Ichigo looked at the old man and said, "I'm sorry, Zangetsu. Please…give me another chance."

It's half the distance through the open door before you cut me down,

Zangetsu's blade vanished from Shiro's hand, and Ichigo slashed Shiro from shoulder to hip.

Say again…

Shiro smiled at his king, not quite hiding the love and devotion in his eyes as he said, "Looks like you win this round, King." His corporeal form faded until Ichigo returned to the real world.

Zangetsu smiled at Shiro, who forced a smile in reply.

"He's getting stronger," he said approvingly.

"I know," Shiro replied, scratching his neck and sighing fondly, "That's why I'm here, to support and push him, ne?"

So let me introduce you to the end.

And I feel a cold wind blowing beneath my wings,

Always leads me back to suffering.

"Let me go!" Shiro snarled as Zangetsu pinned him against a building window.

"This is his fight, Shiro," Zangetsu said calmly, "Not yours. Do not interfere."

Waves of pain shot through all who were inside Ichigo's Inner World as a cold rain whipped across their chilled forms.

"He's in pain," Shiro cried, slumping against the taller man's frame, "It hurts, Zangetsu. Why does it hurt this much?"

And I will soar until the wind whips me down,

Leaves me beaten on unholy ground again.

Shiro was beating that stuck-up excuse of a shinigami taichou, an ecstatic grin on his—well, Ichigo's, actually—face.

"Getsuga tenshou!" A red-edged black light shot out at the black-haired noble, who was forced to dodge.

So tired now from paying my dues,

I start off strong but then I always lose.

//Leave.// A hand slowly made its way to the half-formed mask on Ichigo's face. Its fingers grabbed the edge and slowly began to pull.

"What're you doing?" Shiro demanded. The shinigami noble just stared as he seemingly began to battle with himself.

//Disappear.// the hand tugged harder now, and the mask was starting to give.

"No!" Shiro cried, "You don't understand what you're doing, King! You need me!"

With a final cry of "NO!", Ichigo finished ripping off Shiro's mask and sent him back to his Inner World.

It's half the distance before you leave me behind,

It's such a waste of time…

"Sorry for the interruption," Ichigo said before going on to win the fight.

In the Inner World, Shiro was complaining and bragging to Zangetsu.

"I was winning," Shiro said heatedly, "And he just…" He sighed; then continued in a softer tone, "Zan, he is getting stronger. It's only a matter of time before he challenges me for control of the mask…"

'Cause my shackles, so you won't be,

And my rapture, so you won't believe,

Ichigo entered his inner world and called softly, "Zangetsu?"

Shiro watched Ichigo from inside one of the buildings. He bit his lip to avoid calling out when he noticed Old Man Zangetsu walking up behind him.

"What d'ya want, Zan?" he asked tiredly. Zangetsu placed a parental hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"Shiro," he said, pulling the albino into a hug, "I need a favor." Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked.

"We both know that he doesn't know your name, nor that you are a separate, sentient being, and that I call you 'Shiro' for your pallor."

"And?"

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo called again, frowning slightly in a way that sent pangs of jealousy into Shiro's chest.

And deep inside you will bleed for me.

"Go to him. Tell him you're me. Goad him into resolving to become stronger."

Shiro nodded. He reluctantly pulled out of the hug—contrary to appearances, Shiro was mildly empathic and actually reveled in so-called 'human contact'—and got ready to appear in front of Ichigo, his king.

"And Shiro?" He turned.

"Yeah, Zan?"

A ghost of a smile graced his face as he said, "Take care of him."

Shiro nodded, flashed a heart-felt smile, then appeared in front of Ichigo.

"Yo, King. Ya called?"

So here I slave inside of a broken dream,

Forever holding on to splitting seams.

"Where's Zangetsu?" Ichigo demanded, his hand on the hilt of his blade.

"I am Zangetsu," Shiro said with pride. Corny as it sounds, Zangetsu was like a father and an idol to Shiro, and the fact that the old man trusted him enough to pretend to be him was an amazing feeling.

Ichigo frowned, the near-pout on his face sending chills of electricity down the albino's spine.

"No, you're not," Ichigo countered, "Where's the old man?"

Shiro just smiled and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he tsked.

"I just told ya, King, I'm Zangetsu. The 'old man,' as you call him, has been…absorbed, for lack of a better word…so you're stuck with me," Shiro said coolly. He stalked over to Ichigo and leaned forward, his face inches away from those oh-so-tempting seductively innocent lips and huskily breathed, "And that's not so bad, now is it?"

Ichigo's flushed face almost caused Shiro to lose it, his king was simply too tempting for his own good. Shiro felt like he was falling apart at the seams, he wanted his king to the point that it caused him physical pain, but he also knew that he would never act on it for fear of losing him forever. Knowing Zangetsu, this plot was probably a part of a plan to get Shiro over his…infatuation.

So take your peace and leave me alone to die,

Don't need you to keep my faith alive.

They had sparred, and it soon became apparent that Ichigo just wasn't into it. Shiro dealt him a strong blow and tackled him to the ground.

"Let me up, Hollow," Ichigo snarled, his hands pinned above his head my Shiro.

Shiro sighed, inwardly depressed while outwardly seeming to be mockingly hurt.

"Now, now, King," he said huskily, "I've told ya, it's Zangetsu."

"You're not Zangetsu."

A flash of pain at this denial shot through him, showing in his eyes as he gazed down at the lithe, flushed body pinned below him. All of a sudden, Shiro lost the will to fight. He let Ichigo up and turned away, biting his lip in an attempt to control the overwhelming emotions. That was the problem with being an empath, every emotion was amplified by his nature.

"I'm not 'Hollow' either," he said bitterly, "But you don't seem to mind calling me that."

Ichigo was shocked. The albino might be his Inner Hollow, but it was still just a Hollow. And yet he'd never seen a Hollow break off of an attack because it was depressed. What shocked him the most, though, was that he felt guilty about it.

"Sorry," he muttered, flushing in embarrassment, "So…what is your name, anyway?"

"Shiro," came the gloomy reply.

"That stand for something?"

Shiro just shrugged and looked over at Ichigo.

I know now what trouble can be,

And why it follows me so easily.

"Dunno. Zan named me." Shiro waited for a triumphant 'I told you so!' about his name from his King, but it never came. Instead, Ichigo walked over and pulled him into a hug. For just a second, but what felt like ages, Shiro relaxed into the contact. But then he saw Zangetsu standing off to the side. He stiffened and pulled away from the inviting embrace.

"Zan, I-" he started, but the older man cut him off with a look. Shiro bowed his head, ashamed. "Sorry, Zangetsu," he said, defeated.

Zangetsu sighed, walked over to the albino and reached out a hand to ruffle his hair. "Its okay, Shiro," he said parentally, "I guess it was just too early."

It's half the distance through the open door,

Before you shut me down.

Ichigo just looked on in shock. If he didn't know any better, his sword and his Inner Hollow looked like they were in a relationship. For some reason, that made him feel jealous.

Say Again…

Shiro glanced at Ichigo, and flushed when he saw that he was staring back at him.

Zangetsu simply chuckled in amusement at the two young males.

"You wanted something, Ichigo?" Zangetsu asked with a low laugh.

Ichigo frowned in thought for a second, then snapped his fingers.

"Oh, yeah," he said with a smile, "I did. See, those Vizard bastards knocked me out and basically told me that I need to control my Inner Hollow—"

"My name's not Inner Hollow!"

"To get control over the mask. They basically told me to either gain control over it—"

"I'm a he, damnit!"

"Or they'll kill me. I wanted your help."

Let me introduce you to the end.

"They'll what?" Shiro demanded icily.

Ichigo blinked. His Inner Hollow sure was acting kind strange. He furrowed his eyebrows and replied, "They'll kill me. After all, if it—err, I mean you—was in control, I'd be extremely dangerous."

Shiro's eyes flashed angrily, and Zangetsu placed a cautious hand on his shoulder.

"No, Shi," he warned, "You'll make things worse."

Shiro glared at Zangetsu and snarled, "No one threatens my King, Zan! That's my job, so I can make him grow stronger! Ichi's got it hard enough without those bastards interfering!"

"Shi—" Zangetsu started, but Shiro cut him off, eyes glowing in anger.

"Not this time, Zan. I'm going to help. I…" His voice grew soft and pained, "I can't stand seeing him and his hurt in any way, Zan. I just can't."

Ichigo was in shock. His Inner Hollow—Shiro, or whatever—actually seemed to care about him. But that just wasn't possible, right? After all, Hollows of any kind were jut vile creature that were based off of all the worst kinds of instinct, weren't they?

Zangetsu nodded in defeat. With a heavy sigh he pointed out, "It's not normal to give up your services without a fight, Shiro."

"I'll give him a challenge, Zan," he said with a soft smile before turning to face Ichigo, "I'll help you control my mask. When they're a real dangerous fight where you haven't earned the right to control the mask on your own for long enough to finish it, I'll step in and help you out. At such times, neither of us will have full control. But before all of that, you have to give me a name. A real name." He paused, then started to fade. "You have three hours. Until then, I'll go and meet these…Vizard's…expectations. Mostly."

'Cause my shackles, so you won't be.

Shiro opened his—Ichigo's—eyes and calmly looked around. He—Ichi—was in a barrier in what looked a lot like the Underground training room underneath the Uruhara Shoten.

Standing in front of him was the blond Vizard prick that had been trying to recruit Ichigo at school for the past couple of days. His mask was on, and Shiro forced Ichigo's face to sneer at the man.

"You…" Shiro hissed, pointing a hollow-armor covered finger at the blond, "Were you the one that threatened my King?"

The blond vizard's eyes narrowed. This wasn't normal, usually the Inner Hollow wasn't anything more than a mindless beats outside of the Inner World.

"Well? Were you?" Shiro demanded, glaring at the man.

The blond cleared his throat and asked, "Who wants ta know?"

With a laugh Shiro replied, "Who d'ya think, dumbass? Who could possibly be in control of my King's body while he's in talking to his zampacuto?"

And my rapture, so you won't believe.

The blond frowned and crossed his arms. After a pause he asked, "Why ain't he fightin' ya?"

With a feral smile Shiro replied, "Because," he took a few steps toward the Vizard, "I have business to settle. With you Vizard bastards, as a matter of fact."

"Oh?" the blond asked, "And what business might that be?"

Shiro finished closing the distance between himself and the blond. He punched the Vizard in the gut and snarled, "How dare you say you'll kill Ichigo?!? How dare you tell him I'd endanger the people he cares about?!? Do you have any idea how much that hurt him?!? It hasn't stopped raining since you talked to him at school! Did you once stop to think about the fact that every time I've appeared, the only people I've hurt have been the ones that hurt Ichigo?!? The ones he would have hurt if he know how to?!?"

And deep inside you will bleed for me.

The blond gaped, clutching his stomach. His mask disappeared, his face flushed with shame.

Shiro just glared at him some more and continued his tirade.

"You and I both know that Inner Hollows are magnifications of the evil aspects of their shinigami's soul. Ichigo is an innocent." The anger faded from Shiro's voice and face, and was replaced with sorrow, fondness, and pride. "He's loyal, stands for what he believes in, he's a leader, and he makes people trust and turn to him. He's a good guy, even though he thinks too little of himself. He's impulsive, stubborn, and trys to take the weight of the world onto his shoulders. Not to mention the fact that he always finds himself trapped with survivor's guilt."

The blond looked visibly shaken, and Shiro laughed.

"How could I be all bad when I've got a King like that? Hell, even if I didn't have Zangetsu with me since I was formed, I'd've helped out my King."

Shiro looked at the Vizard in front of him before turning to the ones he knew stood outside of the barrier.

"I'm going to let him have the mask, without fighting for it."

With a gasp the blond protested, "What? But that's—"

With a soft smile Shiro amended, "Oh, I gave him a condition. And he won't be able to control it for long without my help, which is where I'll be expecting you idiots to train his endurance. But if you betray him," Shiro's voice grew cold and bloodthirsty, "I'll kill you all in the most slow and painful ways possible." He paused, as if listening to something. "Yeah, Zan, I'll be right there." Shiro smiled and sat down. "You'll get Ichigo back in a few," Shiro said coolly, "He's just finished with his end of the deal."

So though you know you care,

Zangetsu pulled Shiro into a hug as soon as he appeared in Ichigo's Inner World.

"I'm proud of you, Shi," he said with a smile, "You did a good job out there."

Shiro blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, they threatened Ichi," he said shyly, "And that kinda pissed me off."

Ichigo had been privy to the entire conversation thanks to Zangetsu, and he was blushing from what had been said about him. He cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment and said, "Well, um, yeah. I've got you a name."

My shackles, you won't be,

Shiro's eyes brightened. With almost childish delight he asked, "What is it?"

Ichigo smiled in a reflexive response. Somehow, seeing Shiro happy made him feel all warm and cozy inside.

"Well," he said as he walked over to Shiro, "Since you're obviously used to Shiro, I used that as a basis for your name. And because you're a part of me, I decided to mix it with a variation of my last name for your first name. And," here he blushed slightly before continuing, "Because you're really cool, I decided to use a name from NARUTO for your last name."

"And?" Shiro asked excitedly, "What is it?"

"From now on, your name is Namikage Shirosaki!"

"Thank you so much!" Shiro said, acting completely out of character as he pulled Ichigo into a bone-crushing hug.

My rapture, so you won't believe!

Ichigo blushed and Shiro buried his face in the nape of Ichigo's neck. Zangetsu smiled knowingly at the pair and disappeared.

"Shiro…" Ichigo asked hesitantly, shivering at the intimate contact, "Why…why did you make it…easier…for me?"

"Because…I love ya, King," Shiro murmured seductively, tightening his hold on the luscious berry.

And deep inside you will bleed for me…

Ichigo's heart beat sporadically in his chest as he was pulled into a deep, passionate kiss by his Shiro. The albino's tongue seemed to be mapping out the inside of his mouth, causing Ichigo to moan into the fiery touch.

Yeah, I…My laughter, you won't hear,

Zangetsu smiled as he watched the two young men cement their new-found relationship.

"Maybe you are ready, Shiro," he murmured.

The faster I disappear.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo called, his face flushed from exartion, hair in a disarray and clothing slightly riffled.

Shiro frowned. After a pause he called, "Zan?" When there was no reply he called again, slightly panicked, "Zan, where are you? Why can't I feel you?"

And time will burn your eyes to tears…

"Shi?" and older Ichigo appeared in his Inner World, and an equally older Shirosaki appeared behind him. He wrapped his arms around his King and lover before nuzzling his noze in his hair.

"Yeah, King?"

The carrot-top smiled sadly and leaned into the embrace.

"It's been five years since…since Zangetsu vanished," he said softly, "And I…I still miss him, Shi."

"I think," Shiro said softly, "I think he left because we were ready. Y'know, to be without his help. I think he left because we grew up."

Ichigo turned around and kissed the albino softly. He sighed into the kiss, then pulled away slightly to whisper, "Love you, Shi."

The Inner Hollow smiled fondly and replied, "Love ya too, Ichi."

FIN

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, and let me know if y'all want something else like this in the future. ^^ I'm willing to take songfic requests for any couple in BLEACH, just send me a pairing, a song title with the artist's name, and whether or not you want smut in it.