With a Silent Touch

Urahara was serious for once as he handed Ichigo the small amulet. "You've got to let Shirosaki stay in control for one full week, in order for this to start responding to his reiatsu," he told the former part-time girl. Ichigo nodded back, and let his eyes fall closed as he called his hollow to the forefront.

"What's up, Kisuke?" The only visible change was Ichigo's brown eyes turning molten gold. Urahara sighed.

"Weren't you listening when I was explaining this to Ichigo?"

Shirosaki shrugged noncomittedly. "Nah. Ossan and I were playing shogi. What's going on? Ichigo didn't say nothing but that you needed me out here."

Urahara felt his infinite patience coming to an end as his eyebrow twitched in irritation. "That thing in your hand-" he paused as Shirosaki realized that there actually WAS something in his hand, and stared at it. "-Is an amulet to allow you to occupy Ichigo's Shinigami body apart from his normal body."

"We can be out at the same time? As different people? With different bodies?"

"Yes."

Urahara was suddenly doubting his decision to go along with Ichigo's request to give them separate bodies as the mischievous gleam in Shiro's eyes burned brighter than ever. "What's the catch?" he asked suddenly.

"No catch. It was a favour to Ichigo. You just have to stay in complete control for a week, and allow it to absorb your reiatsu."

Very doubting. Very much. Shirosaki cackled.

-

"I don't think Ichigo would be very happy about this," Shinji whispered. It was nearing two oclock in the morning, and Shirosaki had snuck into his bedroom at the Urahara shoten, laying down next to him.

"Nah," Shiro said. "Ichi's asleep right now. And the Quincy can kiss my ass if he has a problem with me sleeping here."

Shinji was surprised by this. "Are you?"

"D'you care? I don't wanna sleep with the Quincy. You'd make a better fuck, anyway." Shirosaki spoke so blandly that Shinji almost felt a blush lighting its way up his cheeks.

"I don't care," he said, ignoring the fuck comment - not that he didn't want to mess around with the incredibly sexy hollow, but Ichigo would kill him, and anything Ichigo left behind, Ishida would smear across the floor.

"Anyway, it's only for a week. Then Ichigo gets to go back to his Quincy plaything, and I get to stay with you."

Shinji blinked, confused. He'd been left out of something again. "What the hell does that mean?"

Shiro's eyes glinted in the semi-darkness. "It means Kisu-chan gave me somethin' that'll let me and Ichi separate for a little while," he whispered, and reached his arm across Shinji's chest, pulling him closer and sliding them both down into the futon. "Get some sleep," he murmured, curling up against the Vizard. "Yer gonna need it next week."

He was definitely blushing.

-four days later-

"Ichigo definitely won't like this," Shinji muttered as Shirosaki unbuckled his trousers.

"Ichi can kiss my ass when he gets back out. He ain't payin' no attention, anyway. An' so long's we don't fuck, we're fine."

"How the hell do you figure that?" Shinji gasped out as Shiro wrapped long fingers around his cock and started stroking in gentle, even movements.

"Cause this body's still a virgin," Shirosaki said bluntly. "S'long as he gets to fuck Mister Quincy, he don't care. Not that he'd say it like that." The hollow gave a quiet chuckle as Shinji hardened in his grasp. "I like how you feel, Vizard," the gold-eyed man said, leaning in close to his ear and quickening his hand. Shinji's breathing picked up along with the pace of the movements. "The fuck?" Shirosaki looked down in surprise as Shinji used his free hand to reach past the shallow barrier of Ichigo's sweat pants.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that, Hollow," Shinji said, gripping Shiro's already solid length and sliding his fingers along it teasingly. Shiro squeezed him in warning, and he shifted to a firmer hold. It didn't take long before both of them were panting and stifling moans.

They came in unison, silently, and cleaned themselves off with a towel Shirosaki had brought in just for that purpose before curling up together and falling into a contented sleep.

-three days after that / one week later-

"Okay!" Urahara beamed at the gathered crowd. "Time to see if my hard work has paid off! Shiro-kun, call Ichigo out."

The hollow's eyes closed, and when he opened them again, they were a full, rich brown. Ichigo looked around, rubbing his hands on his thighs. Standing up straighter, he finally focused on Urahara. "Time's up already?" Ishida took his hand, smiling furtively.

"Good to have you back, Ichigo-kun," Urahara said pleasantly. "Now, I want you to treat the amulet just like you do your Shinigami icon," he instructed, and Ichigo shrugged, picking up the small pendant around his neck. He pushed it against his chest, and felt the familiar tug of separation as his Shinigami form was yanked out of his body. Instead of the usual change in awareness and falling body, however, he was still there, still himself. Turning around, he saw Shirosaki standing there the way he was in Ichigo's inner world; inverted shihakusho, pale white skin, white hair, with black and gold eyes. Shiro looked just as surprised as he felt, looking down at his body and over to Ichigo, rubbing his upper arms as he got used to the separation of having his own body.

"This is weird," they said in unison, and Urahara laughed.

"I'm incredible," he said triumphantly, and then slid away as unobtrusively as possible to give the boys some privacy.

-TBC-
OH GAWD. I was planning on interjecting some smut here - it's ONLY a ONESHOT. ;e; but I just can't concentrate any more. I'll add the smut in the morning, having lead up to it with this. sorry about that. Silent Step's last chapter is in progress, and should be up later tomorrow.

WOULD NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. :/ I need to stop staying up late to write fanfics. I bet this one sucks, just because I'm so tired and can't concentrate on it.
Rubbing thighs, the way Ichigo did when he came back to himself after a week of being Shiro, is called grounding, and most multiples do it when switching alters. Rubbing thighs, looking around, changes in posture, tone, or expression are all signs of switches in MPD/DID.

MPD/DID is multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder. I figure Ichigo qualifies, and threw in little things like that to make it more realistic. here I am babbling, when i need to go to bed. sorry if it's terrible. g'night all. *crashes into bed*

Extra: I am fascinated by MPD/DID. Two great books, one fiction, one non, are The Girls He Adored (Author unknown, too tired to look it up) and When Rabbit Howls (by the Troops for Juddi or Truddi Chase. I think.) Girls is a fictional story, but absolutely wonderful read, and Rabbit is absolutely terrifying when you think about this being a real woman, but seeing as how it was actually put together by all of her alters, it's fascinating.

ANOTHER EXTRA: (because I write the author's notes before the story itself XD) Anise, I just got your review for Strawberry Kisses, and had to throw this in here: I'm pretty sure that everything I write for Bleach (at least) will take place at least three years from the start of the show, making all the teenagers at least eighteen, and therefore legal. They're eighteen in Strawberry Kisses, 20 in the Silent Step universe, and 22 in Welcome Home (and any and all likely sequels/followups)
This is mostly for smut occuring between Shinji/Ichigo, or Urahara/Ichigo, considering the age difference. Not that I have anything against shoutacon sometimes, or under age sex, but for some reason, something about Bleach compels me to make them older. Maybe it's because with age comes maturity, and I tend to forget they're only fifteen at the start of the series anyway.