Things were not going well. Currently, it was only him in the middle of a dense forest outside of the village, his team had abandoned him in a crude attempt of payback during their test. It had been a few hours and the sun was beginning to set, not good. Within a few hours his giant leafs would close up and he would go to sleep unwillingly. He sat in front of a fire staring into its embers thinking of worst case scenarios and plotting a way out. Suddenly, he heard a voice, it was quiet and distant but familiar. At first, he couldn't tell where it was coming from or what it was saying, but it slowly became louder, vibrating in his head, no longer whispering but talking.

"I can help us get back, I know the way."

He looked around, he didn't see or sense anyone, so where could the voice be coming from?

"You're obviously confused, I thought you would have realized I was here earlier." mocked the voice.

"Well, it can't be helped, you won't be able to find me that way. Close your eyes then try and find me, even your useless, idiots of teammates could do it."

"How can I find you by closing my eyes?" he asked into the dusk.

"Just do it," the voice commanded.

Reluctantly, Zetsu closed his eyes. As usual he only saw the back of his eyelids; but then from the darkness in his mind appeared himself, only with coal black skin and big, yellow orbs for eyes.

"Well finally! I've been trying to talk to you for weeks but the noise of our crap-village kept you from hearing me! The only time I could get a word in was when you were asleep, but you'd just forget in the mornings." huffed his darker self as he walked closer.

"Who are you?" You look like me but...different."

"I'm you, well, the part of you that isn't an obedient little suck up," he smirked.

Ignoring the comment he asked, "Where did you come from? I know when I was younger I would create imaginary friends but I don't remember making you."

"I don't really know myself, I guess I was slowly made little by little. I was only able to talk a few months ago and couldn't contact you until a few weeks ago."

"So..." he paused before speaking again, "are you my...friend?"

His other half snorted then smiled, in an almost caring way.

"Sure, I'll be your friend, but you have to give a little too. It's not much, just some physical proof I exist, alright?"

"Alright! Just say what you want and I'll do it!" he didn't care what he had to give as long as he got a friend.

"Good boy, you can open your eyes now, I'll lead you through the forest back to the village."

Zetsu opened his eyes and took a quick look around before standing up and snuffing out the fire.

"Thank you...um...what's your name?" he asked in his mind.

"What do you want to call me?"

He thought for a moment, going through words and names he could use. In the end only one, simple word seemed to fit.

"How about, Aku?"

He chuckled and said, "I like it."

They managed to get halfway home before the sun set and they were forced to fall asleep. It had been a hard walk and he was exhausted. In the morning he woke up to excruciating pain on the right side of his body, it felt like his skin was burning off. He touched his hand to his face and felt his skin flaking off, onto the ground like snow.

"What's going on?"

"You said I could show some physical proof of my existence, so I am. My eye will come after half of the skin on the right side of your body is replaced with mine." he said as if he was explaining the weather.

He froze, he didn't know what he would do or take from him before but he thought he would be prepared but this was... too much. "What, you're surprised? I'll only be taking half your skin and an eye, hopefully I'll be able to talk out loud too."

"W-what? B-but I'm already a freak, if you come and appear on my face and start talking then I'll be hated even more, maybe even-"

"Shut up idiot and listen!"

He silenced, but only because he was afraid of what he could do to him if he didn't comply.

"Now I'm being generous because if I really wanted to, I could take control of everything and let you have the backseat for the rest of your life. Also, who cares what those half brained asses do to us? We're twice as smart as them and if they try to hurt us, I won't let them. And who cares what you look like, frankly, I think everyone else in this world is as ugly and revolting as a rotting, maggot filled, carcass."

He giggled at the comment and silently agreed, he never really thought that their orange skin and poop colored hair was very attractive, it was...unnatural.

"Heh, you agree then? Yeah, they're ugly little shits, but we're getting off track, do you understand what I'm saying now? In return of protection and friendship I get some physical needs, that's the deal, if not then I'll just disappear."

Panicking, Zetsu spoke without thinking.

"Of coarse! I'll give you whatever you need just don't go!" He had his first friend, he wasn't about to loose him over selfishness.

"Good, now, try to ignore the pain and let's keep going, the skin should finish peeling off in 24 hours if you bathe to help get it off. It's much less painful"

They walked in silence the rest of the way back, nothing else needed to be said.

When he had gotten back he immediately ran to the bath ignoring the questions of his father and began scrubbing off the skin. It was true, it didn't hurt as bad with the warm water and it came off faster, but the skin made the bath dirty and he mentally noted he's have to clean it later. When it was all gone there was a nice, clean border on his skin where white met black.

"Now isn't this nice? The eye will have to wait, it takes longer to prepare."

"Okay, but...how I am going to explain how I look?"

"I don't know, just, don't say anything. If they start throwing accusations I'll intervene all right?"

"Okay." He said unconvinced.

When his father finally found him, he was in his room learning from Aku how to manipulate his chakra more efficiently.

"Zetsu what is the meaning of this? You've been gone since yesterday and when you finally come home you run off and avoid me, where have you been?"

He looked over his shoulder slowly, hoping his reaction wouldn't be bad. But it was. His father gasped and stumbled back, holding himself up in the door frame.

"Ze- w-what happened to you?"

Guiltily he looked back down, then Aku took over.

"What's wrong old man? I just felt like trying a new style that's all." the voice came out rough and deep, it was almost demonic.

"Y-you've been possessed by evil spirits! I-I have to k-kill you myself!" he grabbed a kunai from a pouch were he keeps things for defense an ran toward him yelling. His father wasn't a fighter, but Zetsu was, in fact he had secretly been learning some plant type techniques on his own. The evil half, still in control formed a hand seal, and giant vines shot up from the ground and impaled his father through the stomach.

Zetsu was horrified, of all the people in the world he cared about his father was near the top, he didn't want to kill him, but inwardly Aku assured him it was the only way. On the white side of his face tears began falling down his face, but the other had an insane look in its eye. He walked up past the tangle of thick vines and up to his father, who was just barely alive.

"Sorry sir, Zetsu wants you to live but I know better than to let a threat to our existence live. By the way, my name's Aku ." His father's eyes widened then glassed over and his head slumped a little, he was dead. The vines receded and with control returning, Zetsu slumped to the floor and cried.

"It's okay Zetsu, he never cared for you. In all my years of watching silently I could tell, besides, now is the perfect opportunity to teach you how to clean up a corpse."

Trying to stop the tears he closed his eyes to see him and said, "H-how?"

Aku smirked devilishly. "You'll have to let me take control for a bit longer but I swear you'll like what you taste."

His eyes widened, "Y-you don't mean..?" But he didn't get a chance to finish as control slipped from his conscious and he was once again watching. It was horrific, Aku was having his body, eat the corpse of his father, but the worst part is he could taste it. But...the flesh was good. He liked it, and in fact wondered if he tasted like this, or if others tasted this good.

When he was done and control was returned Aku said,

"Now you know what these sharp fangs are for."

Whee it's a longer chapter then usual! I hope you like how Zetsu got his black self. It was different then what I had originally thought of but I like this better. I chose the name 'Aku' because in Japanese it means evil. Fitting ne'? Review please!