Gaara seems to have been faring better at the Academy as of late. The kids haven't improved, but it seems like Takeo talked some sense into some of the teachers. They still don't treat Gaara very well, but they have at least stopped openly insulting him. It's not much progress, but people can be a bit nuts when they're afraid of something.
Speaking of being afraid, I've finally gotten the chance to talk with Baki about his fear of Shukaku. I know that he has more reason to fear that demon than most given what it did to him, but Takeo seems to be considering him as a future sensei for my kids. He seems to be building up tolerance of Temari and Kankuro already, but I can tell he's terrified of Gaara. I've barely even seen those two in the same room together. When Gaara and Baki do run into each other, Baki gets ridiculously nervous. I can tell that the only reason he doesn't run away from Gaara is because he knows exactly how I deal with people who make me mad.
Gaara says Baki's fear of him is not as obvious as that of most of the villagers, but that's probably because he doesn't know Baki well. All it takes is two seconds near Gaara for Baki to start sweating and for him to discreetly look for an escape route. You'd think he was dealing with a scorpion ready to sting him at the tiniest misstep. Heck, the only reason he agreed to come and talk to me is because Gaara is getting another medical exam today. I know Chiyo tends to spend a lot of time telling Gaara stories and such when he goes for a check up, so we'll have plenty of time to tackle Baki's phobia.
After getting us both a little tea so we can relax a bit before things get hairy, I give Baki a minute to prepare himself before I start lecturing him. Then, I confront him about his issue with Gaara. He takes his sweet time thinking about how to tell me his problem, that's for certain. It's only after a few minutes of careful thinking that he finally opens up.
"I know I shouldn't be afraid of your son. The problem is, I just can't get near him without remembering that demon. What if he loses control one day?" Baki takes a second to finger one of his scars before continuing. "I know that if anyone can control Shukaku, it would have to be someone from your family since you'll all so strong willed." Yep, he's definitely afraid of my reaction. Strong willed… he must mean strong fisted. "I just can't help remembering what happened to the last host."
At least Baki knows how to get to the point. "I can imagine how you must feel. After what happened to you, most shinobi would have lost it. It couldn't have been easy to have lost an eye after all." Baki flinches as soon as my words sink in. That day must still give him nightmares. "You may only have one eye now, but I'm sure you can still see the character of people really well. You've even managed to start tolerating kids now. So why not give one more kid a chance?"
When all else fails, a little flattery can go a long way. It looks like Baki is more willing to confront his fears now. After a brief pause, he finally admits it. "You have a point. That kid seems to be willing to trust people. It's about time somebody tried to return the favor." With a shaky smile he adds, "Besides, if he's anything like you, Shukaku will be the one to have something to worry about." I have to laugh at that last statement. I always was known as one of the few women in this village to have a backbone. Maybe if I'm lucky Gaara really will be able to teach Shukaku a lesson.
Baki is just about to head back to his house when we both here a bit of a racket coming from the bathroom. I had told Yashamaru and Takeo to keep Temari and Kankuro busy while I talked with Baki. Apparently, those two are screwing up. When the noise continues, Baki and I decide to check out what's going on over there. There aren't exactly many normal ways that any situation could be making that much noise. Once we get over there, we find the door cracked open with nothing but laughter coming out of it. After a shared glance filled with curiosity, Baki and I gently nudge the door open a bit more.
After a moment of letting the ridiculousness of the scene soak in, even Baki looks like he's forcing himself not to crack up. From the looks of it, Kankuro got his hands into some of the purple face paint that Sasori had left behind. All of the skilled puppet masters are given face paint once they reach a certain level, but Sasori never used it. At least Kankuro seems to be enjoying the war paint. Meanwhile, both Temari and Yashamaru are laughing their heads off. I don't know which amuses them more, Kankuro's seriousness about some paint that Takeo jokingly used to call manly make up or Takeo's reaction.
It's easy to tell that Takeo remembers who that paint used to belong to. He looks dead serious, his fists are clenched, and he mutters some comments about a runaway man who played with dolls. The good news is I can see his upper lip twitching upwards every once in a while. I know he's never approved of puppeteers, but even he seems to get a kick out of Kankuro's behavior. It doesn't take him long after I come in for him to start chuckling a bit himself. Chances are he's not particularly happy about Kankuro's apparent idea to become a puppet master, but even he has to admit that the look suits him well.
It's amazing how serious a five year old can look with face paint, so I can tell Kankuro is completely serious when he declares his desire to become his puppet master as soon as he sees me. I just wish Sasori could see this. He had always wanted a student to hand his puppets down to. Kankuro may not be able to become Sasori's student, but it looks like he'll be following in Sasori's footsteps.