Again, too short for my tastes... Grr... Anyway, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. :)

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I only own Minako.

Toshiro's hand flew to the blade strapped to his back. It was his companion, his zanpakuto. With that blade, he would avenge his fallen friend. The girl he'd grown up with was lying on the floor, her blood flowing from the hole in her abdomen. Toshiro would make sure Aizen would pay for what he'd done to Momo. He ran forward, drawing his blade…

Toshiro sat up in bed with a jolt, his eyes wide. He'd had dreams like that more times than he could count. He always saw people he knew, but had never met. Many a night, he'd asked himself who that girl, Momo, was. Why did he always seem older and stronger in those dreams, but not in any other?

Why did he always brandish a sword?

Toshiro didn't know the answers to these questions, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. Most of those dreams resulted in him being seriously injured, or waking just before it could happen. Toshiro shook his head and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When he moved his hand, he could see another figure in the room.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of a high-pitched scream. I was out of my bed and running down the hall in less than a second. Had one of those monsters… those Hollows attacked? Was Toshiro hurt? What would I do to protect him? All those thoughts and more raced through my mind as my feet pounded on the floor. I yanked my brother's bedroom door open and ran inside. Before me, I could see a black figure and I immediately thought of a Hollow. My fear only increased, especially when I saw Toshiro trembling in his bed.

"Stay away from him!" I screamed.

Suddenly, what could only be described as a shockwave erupted from around me and sent the dark figure into the wall opposite me. The intruder slumped to the floor with a groan. My body suddenly felt very fatigued and I had to lean on the wall behind me to remain standing. I flicked on the lights and allowed my eyes to adjust. Toshiro jumped out of his bed and threw his arms around my waist, still trembling.

"What was that?" the intruder asked, rubbing his head.

Now that the light was on, I saw that he was a man with deep red hair that was pulled back into a spiky ponytail and had strange tattoos on his eyebrows and down the sides of his face. They reminded me of tribal markings. He wore black, traditional clothes that were identical to the one's I'd seen Ichigo in the first time. This man also had a sword attached to his hip.

"Are you a Soul Reaper?" I asked apprehensively.

"I take it you're the girl Urahara told me about. Yeah, I'm a Soul Reaper." The man stood, but made no move to approach me or my brother.

"Are you one of the bodyguards Mr. Urahara said he'd call?"

"That's right. My name's Renji Abarai."

"I'm Minako Kitamura. Where's the other one?"

"She'll probably be here soon, after that stunt you pulled with your spiritual pressure," Renji answered.

"What do you mean?"

"You sent me into the wall!" At that moment, a woman appeared in the room, wearing the same attire as Renji. She was much shorter than him and very lean. Her short hair was black and her eyes were an odd shade of purple.

"Renji, what happened here?!" she demanded harshly.

"The spiritual pressure we felt was the kid's. I must've scared him."

"Are you the other one Mr. Urahara called?" I asked. The woman turned to acknowledge me and nodded.

"I'm Rukia Kuchiki. Renji and I have been brought here to help protect you and Toshiro Kitamura." I sighed softly and placed my hand on my forehead. Toshiro had stopped shaking, but he still held onto me tightly.

"I'll prepare a place for both of you to sleep for the night."

"Don't worry about that. We already have arrangements."

"The only reason I came was because I felt the kid's spiritual pressure," Renji added.

"His name is Toshiro," I corrected with a stern gaze, even through my exhaustion.

"Right… sorry."

"We'll come back tomorrow, at a decent hour," Rukia said and grabbed Renji's arm before they both disappeared. Once they were gone, I sighed heavily and looked down at Toshiro.

"What have I gotten us into?" I asked.

"We can trust them," my brother answered, moving to sit back on his bed. He pulled the covers over his legs, but didn't lie down just yet. I sat next to him on the bed and ruffled his hair.

"What makes you say that, Shiro-chan?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno, but… I feel like I know them from somewhere." I gave my brother a confused look before shaking my head lightly. It was late and we both needed sleep after what had happened. Toshiro rested his head on the pillow and I tucked him in, kissing his forehead.

"I'll see you in the morning, Shiro-chan," I whispered as I shut off his light and made my way back to my room. I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

Please R&R.