- Chapter Two -

Gin shot up in bed only to hiss in pain as he felt his wound pull from the action. While he was in some pain it wasn't anything new to him. After all as a Soul Reaper, one tends to get injured in all manner of ways. The door opening grabbed his attention so he looked up and saw a man dressed in all black. His eyes dropped to the tray of food and what looked vials was what he focused on next. Confusion was the first emotion he felt and then understanding was next. Looking down at his body he noted how small he was and then the bandages that were a bit pink. "How long have I been out?" His throat felt dry but he knew he needed a time frame first.

"Only two days, but your wound isn't healed yet. Its a pretty deep cut you have, it keeps leaking some kind of energy that slows the healing down. I'm Severus Snape by the way and you must be Gin Ichimaru. So how old do you think you are right now?"

Gin frowned as he held a hand over the pink bandages. Two days, thats shorter than I would have thought. He closed his eyes and focused on the reishi that he could faintly feel. Knitting his brows together he racked his brain on whose it was. And then his had to sigh in annoyance at whose it was. Aizen was the culprit but that didn't surprise him in the slightest. "Its Aizens reishi but that is nothing new to me. As for my age, judging by how small I am, I believe I am six or so." He then focused back on the man who had sat down in the chair had only just noticed was by the bed.

Severus Snape, the man who will become my new father. Well I like his personality already. And am I sensing a Zanpakuto from him? It feels like it but I doubt he noticed it, when I am healed I will have to bring it to his attention. Gin rubbed his face as he felt the weight of shinso as he materialized on the bed. Absently he heard Severus gasp at the sight of his oldest friend. "How are you old friend?" He lowered his hands to pet his one and only partner. Shinso looked and felt well but this was the first time he had been able to materialize on his own.

I am better than you master, I take it this is the man the ancient woman was talking to us about?

Gin looked at the man who was staring at shinso with wide eyes. While shinso could not speak actual words he could still be heard in a manner of speaking. So no doubt this was the first time seeing and hearing his familiar and Zanpakuto. "Mhm, this is Severus Snape." He finally settled all of his attention on the man as shinso made himself comfortable. "So what is all on the tray Severus?" He was never good at being so formal or anything of that nature. When he did it to Byakuya Kuchiki, it was to get a rise out of the stoic man. It amused him so much to make him break his mask just for a moment. In his honest opinion that man needed to either get laid or loosen up.

Severus shook off his shock and set the tray down. He was glad he had plenty of medical potions and creams on hand. He trusted his own work and not those of others. "I brought you lunch, and yes you are six so your guessing was spot on. The potions are to purge you of the foreign reishi as you call it. And the cream is for the wound itself to hasten the healing process." He bent over and pressed a hand to Gins none injured side and began unwrapping the bandages. "While that reishi is being purged the wound needs to be aired out. You only just broke your fever early this morning." He tried to ignore the snake that was big enough to take over the whole bed. The red eyes made his blood freeze as shinso watched his every move.

Gin stayed quiet for a moment as he pet his familiar. "Six is a nice age to start a new life again even if I had wished to stay an adult. It much nicer than what it was last that much I can say for certain. What all do you know Severus?" It was hard to trust another soon after his death. He had spent so long trying to find a weakness in Aizen to kill him. He sometimes wished he had never turned his back on Rangiku. She had better still be on the way to moving on with her life. Friends he had willingly turned on all for the sake of revenge. Izuru Kira had been a wonderful and loyal lieutenant. He had abandoned that bond they shared when he defected. Momo had become so twisted up inside since their plans had come together and it truly sickened him the kind of man Aizen had turned into.

Master you shouldn't blame yourself. Did you fail in your self appointed goal? Yes but you still got the apologize to Rangiku. You got to see her one last time, and I have no doubt that Izuru had never wavered in his faith to you. Could you have gone about the whole situation differently? Probably but its in the past now, as for Momo we both know Toshiro would never allow anyone to harm her.

Gin smiled a geniune smile as he pet shinso and felt the last of the bandages fall away. Dropping his eyes to the inflamed scar that Aizen had given him. He knew that recovery would take some time. Even Retsu would need to purge him of Aizens reishi if he had been alive in that world. Here he didn't feel a single trace of the Soul Society, Soul Reaper or Hollow. He had to wonder if they existed still and decided to test it when he was one hundred percent. Shaking his thoughts he looked at the vial of purple potion in the mans hand. This was the man who would become his new father. Trustingly he took the potion and held a hand over his mouth as he swallowed the vile concoction. Once it was down he scrunched his face and slid his tongue out. "Bleh...such revolting things to be taken in place of actual medicine." He shivered as he could feel the potion take to its job quickly.

Severus smiled as he helped Gin lay back down. The purging potion would work best when Gin was asleep. But he still had a question to answer. "I know enough but we can talk more once you have recovered fully and are able to move around." He placed a hand over the childs forehead and closed his eyes. Like most things, his ability to wield and master wandless magic had been kept a secret. He trained diligently in his free time to get that far and more. His magic pushed into Gin before the boy was back under the soft embrace of darkness. "Do not worry shinso, your master is fine but his powers would have interfered with the potion. Sleep is what he needs more than anyrhing if he is to revocer." Severus actually like the adult turned child that had become his new ward. He seemed and sounded so much smarter than he appeared to be. He knew him before Severus knew about Gin so Lady Magic had been watching over him and gifted him his own second chance in this world.

A/N: Next chapter I will do a time skip and Gin will get his Hogwarts letter. There will be a bit of background information touched on theough Gin. Yes Severus is getting a Zanpakuto of his own. I won't tell what is so you will have to wait and see. There will be shopping ahead in the next chapter and our dour potions master gets to show how much he loves being a parent when they run into some folks. Happy reading you all.