No excuses can make up for how long this took. Just know: college can eat your life away and I will soon be in the rainforest for a month with no technology. I felt guilty enough with all the lovely favorites, alerts and whatnot to update this before then. Though you know...reviews make me even happier and even more likely to finish writing over this summer period. Yeah...I said it: finish writing (oh snap!)
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Zetsu, Age 8
Eventually, at the age of seven, Zetsu had given into his mother’s wishes and entered the Academy. Since that time, he had been viewed as nothing short of remarkable. On paper, he was an excellent student, and in the field he was years beyond his experience, so much so that he was already several levels ahead of the traditional schedule.
Still life at the academy was a daily endurance test for Zetsu. He couldn’t ever be sure which annoyed him more, the jeers he received from those envious of his talent or the attention that was showered on him by the administration. He could see the happiness on his mothers face every time he’d received promotions unusual for someone of his age, but he had long stopped deriving joys from her smile and use out of her attempts to supplement his shinobi education. The only thing that mattered to him was the time he spent in his garden.
Since that fateful day two years ago, no one had dared set foot in his personal territory. Rumors spread like wildfire, and now the most common reaction he received from his peers was fear. It was probably best that way. He was less likely to be bothered.
Equipped with this knowledge, it made Zetsu very surprised, as he passed through the gate leading to his parent’s property, to see a figure in the distance standing in his patch. His eyes narrowed. It could not be his parents. They long since left him to himself. He slung off his pack, abandoning it by the porch as he warily approached his sanctuary.
“What are you doing here?” he said, perhaps with more venom than intended, but he never really took chances anymore. His left hand already drifted towards his pocket of kunai. The figure turned around: it was a girl.
She had a nervous smile on her face, brown hair that barely reached her shoulders and the ever noticeable Grass Academy headband perched on her forehead. Her face seemed very familiar. He was pretty sure she was in a class with him briefly before he swiftly advanced out. Acquaintance or not she was trespassing.
“Ah, sorry,” she replied, that same grin on her face, “They were just pretty. I won’t take anything. I just wanted to help them.”
As if to prove her point, she titled an unopened bag which boasted in bright green letters, “Plant Gro.” Her smile slowly shrank as Zetsu regarded her coldly. She seemed harmless enough, and the voices that so often raged were silent. He noticed her feet were carefully planted in the rows beside the plant she spoke of helping.
“Don’t poison them with that,” he said, taking the chemical from her and tossing it aside. He strode past her seemingly much more interested in tending to his plants.
“Ah, it’s not good for them?” She asked, following a few steps behind him careful not to tread on anything, he noted.
“No.” He tended to a drooping sunflower, coaxing its leaves out of wilting. The girl seemed to note the flowers response to his touch exhaling with a soft, ‘wow.’ Honestly, was she going to stand around here all day? Perhaps the solution was to ignore her, and so he attended to his entire patch of sunflowers without even acknowledging her presence, even though it was ever there silently watching.
“I can help,” she whispered over his shoulder. Zetsu glared at her in response, but this did not seem to deter her. She simply stared right back awaiting something more from him.
“Weed.”
And to his surprise she did. He had seen about all of his other plants, fetched hus watering can, watered everything and readied soil for a new section of flowers. This all took him quite a few hours, and he thought she must have gone home, only to find her weeding back beyond the sunflowers. He snuck up behind her.
“Don’t you have a family or something? Go home.” He questioned as she continued working unfazed by his appearance. She simply smiled at him in response. Well, at least she could weed well as his plants did not seem upset with the work she had done for them. He sighed...perhaps she a tolerable nuisance.
“I’m Zetsu,” he said and slowly extended a hand. Her eyebrows raised in surprise and she stood firmly shaking his hand.
“I know...I’m Shiki,” Her smile was less nervous and more genuine this time. He was not sure what she meant by she knew (probably to the extent that everyone knew who he was.) She did not seem to mind to the point where she turned her back on him to continue silently weeding, and he continued to watch her curiously. In fact, he watched her until a voice broke through the air.
Zetsu, dinner!
His head turned toward the sound of his mother, and he reached for his watering can to leave.
“That’s enough,” he said as he watched her stand up and dust herself off, and hesitantly he added, “thank you.” She nodded simply then followed him as he went towards his house. He could not help but notice how serene his plants felt, at peace even. A rarity.
He arrived back to his porch to see his mother waiting, impatiently tapping her foot, but saw her expression change to surprise as she noted Shiki trailing behind her. The girl waved politely to his mother who waved back. Zetsu noted his mother was doing a bad job hiding her shock to see him with someone his age.
“Ah, dear!” his mother called after Shiki’s retreating back, “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
The girl gave a slight shake of her head, and waved politely before disappearing to wherever she came from. He felt his mother’s gaze on him.
“Zetsu, that was very sweet of you to let Shiki stay in your garden today,” his mother complimented, patting him on the back. He nearly snorted in response.
“Pardon?” was his only reply quirking a curious eyebrow.
“Surely you heard. Her parents died on a mission about a year ago. She only has her  brother now. It’s been very hard for her. I’m sure she appreciated you spending time with her. ”
Yet, he felt he hadn’t done anything at all. He had put her to work, and tried to get her to leave and go home. It was the only time that he felt guilty his mother’s praise was so misplaced.
And from that day forward, when Shiki quietly appeared to work in his garden, he never told her when to go home.
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There you are my loves. Please review. It makes me happy, and let’s me know people are reading and not just gaping at awfulness and running away...
I think I lost my beta forever. Thanks for helping me while you did!
I will try to get another chapter of this or Itachi 1/2 cranked out before the rainforest adventure (Zetsu would be mad proud.)