"What the fuck? Oi, King...What the hell did ya do, bastard?" shiro got up and nudged ichigo's still body with his foot. He got no response other than a muffled groan. Bit by bit the transformation was reversing, until all that was left was Ichigo's body covered in bandages and a torn white robe. "King? Ya still with us? You didn't die did you, cuz that would be bad." he was crouched next to ichigo, poking him in the face.
"What the hell is your problem?" Ichigo's voice was shaking and raspy as he raised a hand to bat Shiro's away. "It looks like...my body wasn't strong enough to handle the forced transformation and kicked you out of my head.
"Uh, king? It wasn't just me your powers kicked out, look." Shiro pointed to a still from lying on the ground. It was zangetsu.
"Why...how did this even happen!" Ichigo gave up trying to comprehend. 'I went from being sick to being pestered by you, to you being expelled from my inner world because my powers are coming back too fast."
"So what do we do? We can't get back to you until your body adapts to your power...and we don't know how long that'll take. Plus zangetsu hasn't woken up yet, which mean i'm still the only part of your power to be recovering."
"We wait," Ichigo shot Shiro a look when he snorted, "I'm not letting you go out and cause trouble Shiro. I don't trust you not to."
"You offend me, king. Besides, I gotta protect you anyway. Not letting you out of my sight until at least Zangetsu wakes up." Shiro answered.
"Yeah yeah, help me up?" ichigo asked, letting Shiro pull him to his feet. He stumbled and winced as he wounds flared up with pain. Just then they heard a call of, "Urahara-san! We're here. Urahara?"
"The entrance is open, but why would they- That was Ishida's voice, but he cut off as he leapt down to see the aftermath of what had just happened.
"Ichigo, you're awake! Adn Shiro, you're...not in Ichigo's body?" Karin wodnered, "who's that on the ground. Yuzu and his father were there as well.
"Hey Karin!" Shiro greeted enthusiastically, "His body wasn't ready to handle our power and kicked me in the old man out of his head when he started transforming'." he said it so casually that the others sweatdropped.
"But why is Zangetsu unconsciousness?" Isshin asked, coming over to look at him. Meanwhile, yuze rushed towards Ichigo, who merely chuckled and patted her head.
"My shinigami powers have yet to be restored so he's not active at all." ichigo answered, "yuzu could you..,maybe let go? I'm injured." he tried to say it gently but yuz leapt back as if burned.
'Oh god, ichi-nii I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Yuzu asked, tears welling in her eyes. Ichigo crouched down with some difficulty and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm fine, so quit your crying. It's just a few scratches."
"Ah! Let me heal you then, ichigo!" orihime rushed over to him, letting him sit down as she began undoing the bandages. Ichigo was leaning against shiro as his body threatened to give out again. When she revealed the multitude of wounds that were covering his body she gasped, beginning to heal them immediately. "How did this happen?"
"Yes, how the fuck did this happen when I was watching over you constantly?" Shiro asked, looking at the wounds in surprise.
"When I was asleep I was pulled into an unstable part of my inner world and got these trying to escape. It seemed like it wasn't yet connected to the stable part so you didn't feel it or notice." Ichigo cast a sidelong glance at Zangetsu, wondering when he would wake up. He sighed softly when he detected no trace of his power or mental link.
"Thinking about when he'll wake up?" shrio asked softly, looking at where ichigo was, "I'm hoping he wakes up to. It's been so long since we spoke to each other."
"Yeah," to Orihime he answered, 'thanks for healing me." With the strength returned to his limbs he managed to get up without help, though Shiro stuck next to him closely, looking unsure of himself. He had never been in his own body out here before. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing really.
"So shiro, what's it like in ichigo's Inner world?" karin asked him, looking completely at ease with Shiro. Ichigo remembered that he would often let Shiro have control to talk to Karin because she requested it.
"Everything is sideways to begin with and it's...a city kinda. Everything is really empty aside from the ground being made up of skyscrapers. You'd have to see it to really understand it." Shiro answered with a shrug. "I personally think it's the way it is because Ichigo is insane but he'd deny it." Shiro grinned when ichigo hit him in the back of the head.
"I'm not denying it," ichigo muttered, "to do some of the things I do i'm pretty sure I'd be surprised if I wasn't insane. After all, I do have you in my head." ichigo smirked when Shiro glared at him.
"You're weird, King." Shiro mumbled, but was there a faint traces of red in his normally white cheeks? He looked away and crossed his arms, gaze once again drawn to Zangetsu. He began walking towards the body of his friends when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, likewise felt by ichigo. "Looks like we can only be a certain distance away from each other."
"Yeah, don't do that again." Ichigo answered, voice pained. All the energy he had moments before seemed to have drained from him at the burst of agony he had felt. Shiro sighed at the state of his King as he returned to him, gently pushing some energy into him. It didn't seem to affect him as shiro thought it would, but the tension faded from his body.
"Wasn't planning to. What are we going to do now? Any ideas?" Shiro asked ichigo. When he didn't get an answer he turned to see Ichigo swaying on his feet. "Ichigo? C'mon, don't pass out again. Didn't think you were that weak, king."
"Shudup…"Ichigo slurred, "You're not...the one in this body anymore." Ichigo would've fallen to his knees had Shiro not picked him up effortlessly. Ichigo's eyes closed and his breathing settled into one of sleep.
"Well, king's asleep again. Urahara, we should move them back upstairs." Shiro cradled ichigo close to him protectively, and went towards zangetsu's body. He held out a hand towards zangetsu and they watched as his body began to change until it became Ichigo's old sword. Without another word, Shiro leapt straight up and grinned down at them, waving impatiently. He settled ichigo's unconscious form where it used to be, noticing that Tessai had cleaned the blood from earlier.
"Nothing is ever simple with him, is it?" rukia commented, staring down at her friend.
"No it ain't. But that's why he's my king." Shiro gently carded his fingers through Ichigo's hair, smiling when he relaxed t his touch and seemed to curl into him. "I would never ask for a different one."