![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
(no subject)
PLAYER
YOUR NAME: Ante
18+?: yes
CONTACT: sistema @ plurk
CHARACTERS IN GAME: N/A
RESERVATION LINK: here
YOUR NAME: Ante
18+?: yes
CONTACT: sistema @ plurk
CHARACTERS IN GAME: N/A
RESERVATION LINK: here
CHARACTER: CANON SECTION
NAME: Hayato Gokudera
AGE: 14/15
CANON: Katekyo Hitman REBORN! (manga)
NAME: Hayato Gokudera
AGE: 14/15
CANON: Katekyo Hitman REBORN! (manga)
CANON HISTORY: While the KHR Wiki article details specific battle and technique aspects relevant to Gokudera in the the various arcs of Reborn, it also contains information from the anime (and some errors, such as listing Gokudera's birthday incorrectly). Because I play Gokudera from the manga, I've additionally summarized his history here.
CANON PERSONALITY: Complex, guarded, and loyal, Gokudera is a veritable paradox. Taken at face value, he's little more than a standard-grade punk, from his perpetual scowl down to the chains on his pants, the rings on his fingers and the cigarettes in between. He's not afraid to spit insults or get physical, and easily jumps to defensive and violent actions based on hastily drawn conclusions. On the surface, nothing seems to matter to him. However, no matter how much his badass persona seems to enliven the imagination and heartbeat of many a female classmate, to say that it's all that there is to him would be doing him a great injustice. What Gokudera projects outward works like a shield — and it protects a vulnerable, fractured, and deeply loving heart.
On his own from an early age, Gokudera has learned to be solitary. He has adapted to independence and become used to relying on himself and himself alone, and for that reason, it's difficult for him to open up and let others in. That isn't to say that he doesn't care, however — in fact, the absolute opposite is the case. Once Gokudera feels that his trust has been earned (something that can happen even without initiation from the other party; consider Tsuna, for example, to whom Gokudera pledged loyalty long before the two developed the slightest bit of friendship), it's set in stone. For all that he complains about his companions and for all that he tries to distance himself, he can't. He would do anything for the sake of Tsuna, for the sake of Yamamoto (an initial rival who's grown to warm his heart), for the sake of Lambo (a pest who's turned into a pseudo-little brother), even. As long as he's of use, as long as he can protect, as long as he has someone to value, he has value himself. Without a role to fill, he feels worthless. This creates tension between Gokudera and his closest friends and allies, as it restricts him from developing honest relationships, and also limits his ability to trust and care about himself. His self-esteem is so chronically terrible that even after countless experiences with his friends — hardships and celebrations alike — he's still taken aback that he has them — and that they have him.
And they do have him — once his support has been earned, he offers it: unwaveringly, he's loyal and dependable, even if he doesn't always succeed in battle. It's for their sake, too, that Gokudera keeps his fractures hidden, believing that he can be the most effective subordinate by stifling all of the messy parts of himself and projecting a stable whole. Against the odds, however, he's learning that it's okay for them to see the hidden parts of himself, too. He's discovering that the people he cares about are the ones who can fill the cracks. He's still growing, still learning — it's dynamic.
And dynamic (from the same root as 'dynamite,' his primary weapon) fits Gokudera in other realms as well. Though he keeps his doubts hidden, he's incredibly expressive: quick to laughter and anger alike, his emotions run on quite a short fuse, often to a literal extent. He's energetic, eager to please, and in no short supply of commentary— but at the same time, he is also quiet, doubtful, and inhibited. Though he appears to switch complete temperaments fluidly, from introspection to extraversion, his deepest feelings — his respect, trust, and love, though he'd likely never call it by that word — are constant, and though he struggles to reconcile one with the other, he's getting there. It's a process, but he's moving.
It's fitting, perhaps, that for such a tumultuously emotional person, Gokudera is also highly intellectual. He excels in all areas of academics but especially in mathematics, views the world rationally and realistically because of it, works out people and techniques like they're equations with a logical solution. He is curious, searches for new information, and acts informally as his core group's intelligence when it comes to mafia know and know-how, as well as miscellaneous facts. His imagination and sense of wonder can extend to extremes; for all of his rationality, he also possesses a superstitious and Sometimes bizarre understanding of the world. For example, he is a fan of crypotzoology and staunchly and vocally believes in extra-terrestrials. Finally, though he is observant when it comes to critical details, he is almost comically oblivious in some senses (not noticing when he was shrunk to the size of a child during a weapon malfunction, for example), which further complicates his character.
Trusting and distrustful, expressive and enigmatic, sentimental and belligerent, Gokudera is one set of contradictory traits after another. Young and constantly in flux, he strives for balance and earnest progress. As he tries relentlessly, he comes to extraneous solutions and wrong answers along the way, but as it was mentioned, it's a process. He's always growing — stumbling here and there, surely, but he has people to help him as he goes along, and he's learning to let them in.
SKILLS/ABILITIES: As a professional assassin, his skills are varied. Known as "Smokin' Bomb Hayato" and the Storm Guardian of the Vongola family, Gokudera utilizes dynamite, as well as the boxes which are activated by his Vongola ring.
Dynamite is his primary weapon, which he customarily conceals on his person at all times. It likely won't be that useful underwater. More information regarding his dynamite attacks can be found here:
Additionally, in the world of Reborn, many people inherently possess flame impulses, which they can harness and use via weapons, which generally take the form of rings or boxes. Gokudera is one of very few people who possesses more than one flame impulse. His primary flame impulse is his storm flame, and he also possesses rain, lightning, sun, and cloud impulses. At the end of the series, Gokudera uses the Vongola Buckle: Version X, as an upgraded version of his Vongola Storm ring, in conjunction with his boxes. More on these systems and their attacks can be found here:
Special mention should be given to Uri, a cat that subsists on Gokudera's storm flames, and which he also uses as a weapon. More on Uri is listed in the link above, where his weapons system is described, as well.
Finally, Gokudera is intelligent (receiving the highest grades in his class with little effort) and a quick and experienced fighter. He can also play the piano, however grudgingly.
CANON PERSONALITY: Complex, guarded, and loyal, Gokudera is a veritable paradox. Taken at face value, he's little more than a standard-grade punk, from his perpetual scowl down to the chains on his pants, the rings on his fingers and the cigarettes in between. He's not afraid to spit insults or get physical, and easily jumps to defensive and violent actions based on hastily drawn conclusions. On the surface, nothing seems to matter to him. However, no matter how much his badass persona seems to enliven the imagination and heartbeat of many a female classmate, to say that it's all that there is to him would be doing him a great injustice. What Gokudera projects outward works like a shield — and it protects a vulnerable, fractured, and deeply loving heart.
On his own from an early age, Gokudera has learned to be solitary. He has adapted to independence and become used to relying on himself and himself alone, and for that reason, it's difficult for him to open up and let others in. That isn't to say that he doesn't care, however — in fact, the absolute opposite is the case. Once Gokudera feels that his trust has been earned (something that can happen even without initiation from the other party; consider Tsuna, for example, to whom Gokudera pledged loyalty long before the two developed the slightest bit of friendship), it's set in stone. For all that he complains about his companions and for all that he tries to distance himself, he can't. He would do anything for the sake of Tsuna, for the sake of Yamamoto (an initial rival who's grown to warm his heart), for the sake of Lambo (a pest who's turned into a pseudo-little brother), even. As long as he's of use, as long as he can protect, as long as he has someone to value, he has value himself. Without a role to fill, he feels worthless. This creates tension between Gokudera and his closest friends and allies, as it restricts him from developing honest relationships, and also limits his ability to trust and care about himself. His self-esteem is so chronically terrible that even after countless experiences with his friends — hardships and celebrations alike — he's still taken aback that he has them — and that they have him.
And they do have him — once his support has been earned, he offers it: unwaveringly, he's loyal and dependable, even if he doesn't always succeed in battle. It's for their sake, too, that Gokudera keeps his fractures hidden, believing that he can be the most effective subordinate by stifling all of the messy parts of himself and projecting a stable whole. Against the odds, however, he's learning that it's okay for them to see the hidden parts of himself, too. He's discovering that the people he cares about are the ones who can fill the cracks. He's still growing, still learning — it's dynamic.
And dynamic (from the same root as 'dynamite,' his primary weapon) fits Gokudera in other realms as well. Though he keeps his doubts hidden, he's incredibly expressive: quick to laughter and anger alike, his emotions run on quite a short fuse, often to a literal extent. He's energetic, eager to please, and in no short supply of commentary— but at the same time, he is also quiet, doubtful, and inhibited. Though he appears to switch complete temperaments fluidly, from introspection to extraversion, his deepest feelings — his respect, trust, and love, though he'd likely never call it by that word — are constant, and though he struggles to reconcile one with the other, he's getting there. It's a process, but he's moving.
It's fitting, perhaps, that for such a tumultuously emotional person, Gokudera is also highly intellectual. He excels in all areas of academics but especially in mathematics, views the world rationally and realistically because of it, works out people and techniques like they're equations with a logical solution. He is curious, searches for new information, and acts informally as his core group's intelligence when it comes to mafia know and know-how, as well as miscellaneous facts. His imagination and sense of wonder can extend to extremes; for all of his rationality, he also possesses a superstitious and Sometimes bizarre understanding of the world. For example, he is a fan of crypotzoology and staunchly and vocally believes in extra-terrestrials. Finally, though he is observant when it comes to critical details, he is almost comically oblivious in some senses (not noticing when he was shrunk to the size of a child during a weapon malfunction, for example), which further complicates his character.
Trusting and distrustful, expressive and enigmatic, sentimental and belligerent, Gokudera is one set of contradictory traits after another. Young and constantly in flux, he strives for balance and earnest progress. As he tries relentlessly, he comes to extraneous solutions and wrong answers along the way, but as it was mentioned, it's a process. He's always growing — stumbling here and there, surely, but he has people to help him as he goes along, and he's learning to let them in.
Additionally, in summary:
Strengths: Once he's on your side, Gokudera will serve you for life. He's extremely loyal when it counts and would easily sacrifice himself for a comrade if needed. He's a quick and determined learner, with skill for logic puzzles, fast thinking and the resolve to keep trying when he fails (which is admittedly often when it comes to battles). He's also extremely book smart, though he doesn't look like your traditional academic. And he can play the piano, if that counts. Physically speaking and in terms of combat, he's quick and skilled with long-range weapons especially, since he's been a hitman since he was a child.
Weaknesses: Headstrong to a fault, Gokudera often acts with his temper and not with his brains, which gets him into less than desirable situations and earns the chagrin of even his allies. Though he has a tough exterior, he's sensitive and prone to flare up at the mention of certain subjects (his family, dishonor to the Vongola), making him occasionally blind to other perspectives. He can be mean-spirited and hurtful, both intentionally and unintentionally, whether he's teasing his friends or trying to deliberately offend an enemy. And though he's been working on it, he can disregard both the thoughts and emotions of others and his own self-worth (his self-hatred persists despite his slowly developing openness toward his friends), which creates trouble for him and others as well.
SKILLS/ABILITIES: As a professional assassin, his skills are varied. Known as "Smokin' Bomb Hayato" and the Storm Guardian of the Vongola family, Gokudera utilizes dynamite, as well as the boxes which are activated by his Vongola ring.
Dynamite is his primary weapon, which he customarily conceals on his person at all times. It likely won't be that useful underwater. More information regarding his dynamite attacks can be found here:
DYNAMITE:
Gokudera's most basic form of weaponry would be his dynamite, which he carries on him at all times. A list of his dynamite techniques are as follows:
✖ bomb trap (bombs planted to explode at will thereafter)
✖ double bombs (twice the amount of bombs are thrown)
✖ triple bombs (thrice the amount of bombs are thrown)
✖ double bombs with mini bombs (a perspective trick in which the opponent does not realize the proximity of the smaller bombs and thereby falls into the trap)
✖ speed bomb (used propulsion; causes damage to Gokudera)
✖ bomb spray (used in very close contact with opponent; causes damage to Gokudera)
✖ bomb blitz (throws bombs at opponent from behind the opponent's back, thereby causing surprise)
✖ air bomb (thrown beneath Gokudera to propel him upward)
✖ rocket bomb ver x. (current form; have improved speed and power, honing ability, and are propelled by storm flames)
✖ Uri bomb (an Uri-shaped bomb)
Additionally, in the world of Reborn, many people inherently possess flame impulses, which they can harness and use via weapons, which generally take the form of rings or boxes. Gokudera is one of very few people who possesses more than one flame impulse. His primary flame impulse is his storm flame, and he also possesses rain, lightning, sun, and cloud impulses. At the end of the series, Gokudera uses the Vongola Buckle: Version X, as an upgraded version of his Vongola Storm ring, in conjunction with his boxes. More on these systems and their attacks can be found here:
STORM RING AND ASSORTED BOXES:
In the world of Reborn, rings and boxes interact to form weapons. The forms of the boxes and rings have changed as the characters have developed, so they will be detailed here (generally) from current form to earlier form:
The current form of the storm ring is Vongola Gear: Buckle of Storm Version X. When equipped, the storm ring (in the form of a belt buckle) combines with Uri and the Vongola box ring.
In Cambio Forma: Version X form (current), Gokudera wields belts of dynamite, as well as wears sunglasses which approve his trajectory and has a cigarette-shaped lighter, eliminating the need for him to smoke in battle in order to light the fuses of his dynamite; his flames work with the dynamite to make it more powerful.
Cambio Forma: G's Archery, yields a bow; examples of its attacks are tornado flame arrow and gattling arrow.
Sistema C.A.I. (Cambio Arma Instantaneo)/Instantaneous Armament Change System contains 16 boxes — 4 storm, 4 rain, 2 lightning, 2 sun, and 2 cloud. Gokudera is the only box wielder who has all of the flame impulses to operate Sistema C.A.I.. It is a complex system which utilizes the flames in varied combinations in order to attack. For example, storm and rain flames yield a flame arrow, storm and lightning yield flame thunder, cloud attribution can intensify an attack, etc. Another attack is the flame missile which, as it sounds, launches a large projectile.
The Sistema C.A.I. took the form of a skull canon on Gokudera's arm and the rest of the boxes attached to a belt around his waist. It its second form, the boxes took the form of rings. The upgraded Vongola Gear: Buckle of the Storm Version X, created via a substance called Penalty, now encompasses the storm ring, the Vongola box ring (Uri) and presumably the Sistema C.A.I.
The functions of the various Sistema C.A.I. boxes, expounded:
storm:
✖ bone loops (used mostly as a shield)
✖ flame arrow (previously detailed)
✖ storm disc (used for transportation)
✖ Uri (to be detailed)
rain:
✖ rain tube (coats storm flames to weaken enemy's flames)
sun, cloud, lightning:
✖ serve as ammution for the flame arrow, the former being a cartridge and the latter two being tubes
Uri, Gatto Tempesta (storm cat), is Gokudera's box animal. Though he is frequently used as a weapon, Gokudera often leaves him out of his box (though the box now takes the form of a ring). When combined with sun flames, Uri can become a storm leopard. Uri interacts with Gokudera's other weapons as previously detailed. When not in use, Uri takes the form of a stubborn and playful kitten. Though most box animals are unable to eat (as they technically aren't animals), Uri is an exception.
Special mention should be given to Uri, a cat that subsists on Gokudera's storm flames, and which he also uses as a weapon. More on Uri is listed in the link above, where his weapons system is described, as well.
Finally, Gokudera is intelligent (receiving the highest grades in his class with little effort) and a quick and experienced fighter. He can also play the piano, however grudgingly.
CHARACTER: AU SECTION
AU NAME: Hayato Privitera (for syllable matching, heritage, and the loose thematic relevance of him having a last name related to priesthood when the character for 'temple' is in his original last name)
AU AGE: 16 (aged up)
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: His naturally grey hair is now naturally dark brown, but he still dyes it to look cool. Otherwise, he's the same.
AU NAME: Hayato Privitera (for syllable matching, heritage, and the loose thematic relevance of him having a last name related to priesthood when the character for 'temple' is in his original last name)
AU AGE: 16 (aged up)
PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES: His naturally grey hair is now naturally dark brown, but he still dyes it to look cool. Otherwise, he's the same.
AU HISTORY: Hayato was born in Caltanissetta in Sicily, Italy, as the only child to married parents. His mother, a Japanese pianist, passed away due to illness when he was three years old. His father is Italian, and the CEO of a large company, which required him to work excessive hours and occasionally travel to other countries for work with partnership companies, which is how he met Hayato's mother in Japan.
Up through age 11 or so, Hayato's life was relatively calm. He attended elementary school and lived in Palermo. Due to his father's work, he spent a lot of time by himself or with his pseudo-uncle, a family friend whose lax sense of responsibility and frequent drinking after work made him a less than entirely positive influence. In the summers, his father sent Hayato off to his late mother's family near Yokohama, Japan. While the goal of these summers was purportedly to keep Hayato connected with his mother and his heritage, as well as to give him a worldly education and piano training, it was also due to the fact that his father didn't have much time to spend with him while he was out of school.
The start of middle school coincided with some instability in his father's company, and that plus the onset of puberty and breaking point of latent frustration provoked something of a wild streak in Hayato. He started skipping school, smoking to look cool, and defying his father, when his father finally stepped in. In an attempt to find something that would work better for Hayato, his father moved him to various schools in both Palermo and Yokohama, where he completed his last year of middle school. In the end, all it served to do was make Hayato feel like his father was just trying to ship him off somewhere and forget about him.
Despite the truancy and boredom, Hayato's natural smarts were enough to get him an academic scholarship to start high school in Recolle, where his father hoped that genuine independence would give him a fresh start and the comfort to settle down. In the year since he's been in the city, he's adjusted relatively successfully. While he hasn't entirely reformed his mild delinquency, he has at least made connections, namely with Makoto Tachibana (character inclusion approved by the player), who was paired with him as a senior to new student mentor in the school year prior.
AU PERSONALITY: At his core, Hayato Privitera is still Hayato Gokudera, but the difference in their family structures has had a notable effect on the AU Hayato's development. One paramount difference is that Hayato's upbringing entirely lacked the mafia mechanics and experiences that Gokudera's did. It's not that he completely lacks street smarts, but he lacks some of the concrete practice, particularly when it comes to genuine life or death situations.
Furthermore, one key aspect of Gokudera's canon personality is his struggle with his self-worth, particularly due to the challenges he's faced regarding his own identity (in his family structure as an illegitimate mafia child, and in his heritage). Canon Gokudera was shunned and internalized the isolation, building his own walls out of self-protection. This was also concurrently furthered by the belief that his mother's death was due to his father's influence; his hatred for his father both empowered and tortured him.
These dynamics are switched around in Hayato's AU development. As a child, he experienced isolation, but the mechanism was different. Due to his nuanced upbringing, interests, personality, and intelligence, he found it difficult to connect with his peers very much. The older he got, the more bored and distant he felt from those around him, but it was less due to ostracism, and more due to a natural reaction. As a child, he didn't have the socioemotional awareness to act otherwise, but as he has grown into his teenage years, his isolation has led to restlessness. At the same time, the abandonment he feels from his father (which is not entirely factual, but again, his perception takes precedence) has provoked him to act out (through smoking, truancy, petty delinquency) for attention.
Just like Gokudera, Hayato inwardly and ultimately yearns to be accepted, both by his peers and his family. He wants to feel understood and wanted, and to make someone proud. Of course, as a 16 year old, these impulses are still more implicit than anything else; as he develops, they'll become more known to him in time.
Hayato is more trusting than his canon counterpart, but that doesn't mean that he isn't still rough around the edges. He's still a thinker who acts based on his emotions too quickly, and has a hair trigger temperament that fluctuates abruptly all the time. Though he can have good intentions, he's still occasionally mean-spirited, and isn't afraid to speak his mind. Despite all of this, he's more naturally curious about other people, partially due to his intrinsic desire to find someone with whom he's on the same wavelength.
Similarly, he's driven by curiosity and fascination for the natural world that he's actually had more freedom to explore. Though he fidgets under the structure of traditional (or sometimes even unconventional schooling), he loves learning anything he can get his hands on, whether it's advanced physics or calculus, or bizarre urban legends and myths. While he's far from impressionable (he'd rather make his own decisions), he'll try anything once for the adventure of it, regardless of its legality. These interests may have sparked (ahem) some wayward science experiments, which may have in turn encouraged his development as a bit of a hobby pyromaniac.
Up through age 11 or so, Hayato's life was relatively calm. He attended elementary school and lived in Palermo. Due to his father's work, he spent a lot of time by himself or with his pseudo-uncle, a family friend whose lax sense of responsibility and frequent drinking after work made him a less than entirely positive influence. In the summers, his father sent Hayato off to his late mother's family near Yokohama, Japan. While the goal of these summers was purportedly to keep Hayato connected with his mother and his heritage, as well as to give him a worldly education and piano training, it was also due to the fact that his father didn't have much time to spend with him while he was out of school.
The start of middle school coincided with some instability in his father's company, and that plus the onset of puberty and breaking point of latent frustration provoked something of a wild streak in Hayato. He started skipping school, smoking to look cool, and defying his father, when his father finally stepped in. In an attempt to find something that would work better for Hayato, his father moved him to various schools in both Palermo and Yokohama, where he completed his last year of middle school. In the end, all it served to do was make Hayato feel like his father was just trying to ship him off somewhere and forget about him.
Despite the truancy and boredom, Hayato's natural smarts were enough to get him an academic scholarship to start high school in Recolle, where his father hoped that genuine independence would give him a fresh start and the comfort to settle down. In the year since he's been in the city, he's adjusted relatively successfully. While he hasn't entirely reformed his mild delinquency, he has at least made connections, namely with Makoto Tachibana (character inclusion approved by the player), who was paired with him as a senior to new student mentor in the school year prior.
AU PERSONALITY: At his core, Hayato Privitera is still Hayato Gokudera, but the difference in their family structures has had a notable effect on the AU Hayato's development. One paramount difference is that Hayato's upbringing entirely lacked the mafia mechanics and experiences that Gokudera's did. It's not that he completely lacks street smarts, but he lacks some of the concrete practice, particularly when it comes to genuine life or death situations.
Furthermore, one key aspect of Gokudera's canon personality is his struggle with his self-worth, particularly due to the challenges he's faced regarding his own identity (in his family structure as an illegitimate mafia child, and in his heritage). Canon Gokudera was shunned and internalized the isolation, building his own walls out of self-protection. This was also concurrently furthered by the belief that his mother's death was due to his father's influence; his hatred for his father both empowered and tortured him.
These dynamics are switched around in Hayato's AU development. As a child, he experienced isolation, but the mechanism was different. Due to his nuanced upbringing, interests, personality, and intelligence, he found it difficult to connect with his peers very much. The older he got, the more bored and distant he felt from those around him, but it was less due to ostracism, and more due to a natural reaction. As a child, he didn't have the socioemotional awareness to act otherwise, but as he has grown into his teenage years, his isolation has led to restlessness. At the same time, the abandonment he feels from his father (which is not entirely factual, but again, his perception takes precedence) has provoked him to act out (through smoking, truancy, petty delinquency) for attention.
Just like Gokudera, Hayato inwardly and ultimately yearns to be accepted, both by his peers and his family. He wants to feel understood and wanted, and to make someone proud. Of course, as a 16 year old, these impulses are still more implicit than anything else; as he develops, they'll become more known to him in time.
Hayato is more trusting than his canon counterpart, but that doesn't mean that he isn't still rough around the edges. He's still a thinker who acts based on his emotions too quickly, and has a hair trigger temperament that fluctuates abruptly all the time. Though he can have good intentions, he's still occasionally mean-spirited, and isn't afraid to speak his mind. Despite all of this, he's more naturally curious about other people, partially due to his intrinsic desire to find someone with whom he's on the same wavelength.
Similarly, he's driven by curiosity and fascination for the natural world that he's actually had more freedom to explore. Though he fidgets under the structure of traditional (or sometimes even unconventional schooling), he loves learning anything he can get his hands on, whether it's advanced physics or calculus, or bizarre urban legends and myths. While he's far from impressionable (he'd rather make his own decisions), he'll try anything once for the adventure of it, regardless of its legality. These interests may have sparked (ahem) some wayward science experiments, which may have in turn encouraged his development as a bit of a hobby pyromaniac.
SAMPLE This in-universe excerpt exceeds 300 words (and is actually situated within a thread, though Gokudera (59) has fewer than 10 comments). Since it meets the word limit for an in-universe sample, I would like to submit it. If this sample is insufficient, however, I will write another one.
[ Tsuna's guesses were correct— for most of the evening, Gokudera found himself alternating between keeping watch inside and outside.
About 30 minutes ago, after finishing a stroll around the block in the dark, nerves on edge after a frankly stupid incident involving getting thoroughly spooked by a stray black cat, Gokudera dropped his spent cigarette on the pavement, crunched it beneath the heel of his sneaker, and crept slowly, carefully, quietly back into the house. Stillness settled throughout the whole building, and he didn't want to be the one to disrupt it. Though the space was generally bustling throughout the day, volume maxed and at over capacity, at night the silence was almost spellbinding, rather than lonely. It was like something native to the Sawada household could repel negative energy. Even with danger lurking in the form of Bianchi and the kids sleeping somewhere in the house, Gokudera found it difficult to not feel comfortable here, for better or for worse. It was difficult to trace back where the familiar feeling started; whenever he tried, it was like his stomach twisted into knots out of gratefulness, like it was trying to grow new roots and tie him to some semblance of home. And at night, it was better than the uncanny dead air of his apartment, at any rate.
About 20 minutes ago, needless to say, with all of the on guard energy in his body fizzled out, Gokudera fell hard and fast into sleep, arms pretzeled on the kitchen table and head resting atop them, despite the protest of some pulled muscles in his back.
About 15 seconds ago, he jumped to wakefulness with an ungraceful lurch, scrambled to gather his footing so fast that he nearly knocked the kitchen chair to the floor.
And now he comes skidding from the kitchen to the stairs. ]
Tenth—! [ he blurts in a rush, not conscious of his volume in sight of more important things, ] Are you— are you okay?! [ in an instant he's squatting down beside him, a little unsteadily because his heart's pounding and his body hasn't fully caught up with being forced so rudely awake. Fretting is plain on his face, as clear as the sleepiness that glazes his eyes and the bracelet imprints that still indent his cheeks. Some right-hand man, huh, sleeping on the job! ]
supplemental history
But between three and eight, Gokudera carried on with life; he possessed the same talent for piano as his mother, spent time practicing and giving recitals. His sister Bianchi (who would later become the assassin Poison Scorpion Bianchi) began to discover her skill for poison cooking, which no one seemed to notice until Gokudera tried it for good luck on the day of a recital, became violently ill mid-performance... and was deemed brilliant and avant-garde. Thus Gokudera was required to partake in Bianchi's edible weaponry before each performance, thereby becoming classically condition against his sister's face, to the point that he becomes violently ill, even now, at the sight of her face. (However, interestingly enough, if part of her face is obscured — via glasses, goggles, a costume — he is fine.) It's also implied that Gokudera had many private tutors as a child, as his family was quite well off, and exceeded academically even back then. So, despite a few bizarre twists, Gokudera's childhood was generally average.
That is, it was, until he turned eight years old. There are two versions to the story, but they begin the same way. Gokudera, five years after the pianist stopped visiting, overheard gossip in his house: the woman was Gokudera's true mother, and she died in a suspicious car accident on the day of what should have been a birthday visit. Even worse, it was heavily implied that Gokudera's father had a hand in setting up the "accident" — that there was dirty work, that he wanted to easily remove a nuisance that he no longer had any love for.
So Gokudera, young and horrified, ran. He tried in vain to join any mafia famiglia that would take him, but being just a kid, a pianist, and not a full-blooded Italian (he is 3/4th Italian and 1/4th Japanese, given that his father is Italian and his mother was half-Japanese/half-Italian), no one would give him a second glance. Eventually Gokudera — out of necessity to become stronger — pleaded for Dr. Shamal, an acquaintance of his family (whom Gokudera admittedly looked up to), to teach him the technique which he used, the trident mosquito. Instead Shamal taught Gokudera to use dynamite, a decision which would prove to be quite fruitful, as well as land Gokudera with the name "Smoking Bomb Hayato" when he joined the Vongola famiglia as an assassin soon after.
After joining the Vongola famiglia and working with them until he was fourteen, Gokudera got wind that a successor had been chosen: another fourteen-year-old, the hapless Tsunayoshi Sawada in Namimori, Japan. Promptly, he hopped a plane eastward to challenge him while under the guise of joining his class as a transfer student. Long story short, the rash Gokudera accidentally put his own life in danger while attacking Tsuna, Tsuna inadvertently saved Gokudera's life while saving his own, and Gokudera proclaimed his (henceforth) unwavering loyalty and passionate desire to become the Tenth's right hand man. This obviously required him to remain in Namimori — and remain he did, befriending (though quite begrudgingly at first) other classmates that would become is friends and famiglia members.
Alongside Tsuna the boss and one Takeshi Yamamoto (at first a serious rival for the position of right hand, now a close comrade and friend as well as perpetual nuisance), as well as the rest of the Vongola, Gokudera has grown in both emotional scope and fighting technique — in short, in heart and mind. When the Kokuyo attacks occurred, he fought (and lost to) Chikusa in the name of protecting Tsuna and continued to fight alongside the others until leader Mukuro Rokudo was defeated. When it came to fight the Varia, the strongest and most feared independent branch of the Vongola, Gokudera fought (and initially lost to) the prince Belphegor, but still took his place as the Storm Guardian, receiving the storm Vongola ring.
When the group was sent to the future, Gokudera faced a myriad of mental, physical, and emotional challenges: the apparent fact that he had let Tsuna die, although he had obtained the sought-after role of right hand (it turned out, however, that Tsuna's 'death' was just a ploy); the puzzling Sistema C.A.I. box weapons which his older self left behind; his counter-productivity as the right hand who pushes his comrades away and stubbornly guards his heart. He lost devastatingly to Gamma, but strengthened his relationship with Yamamoto thereby; he faced him again, found that they were matched in resolve and power. The battles went on and on and on, and Gokudera never gave up, despite any fear or doubt — he trained to the point that he was skilled enough with the box weapons to teach famiglia members Lambo and Ryohei, put his life on the line countless times in order to change the direction of time and forge a brighter future.
With the future Bianchi he also faced a challenge: at the end of what seemed to be a perpetual nightmare, when the future was fixed and they could all return to the past, Bianchi revealed to Gokudera the "truth" about the relationship between his father and mother. "You were brought into this world loved by both of your parents," she said; evidenced by the love letters that she showed Gokudera, it was that his mother was deathly ill and therefore refused to marry his father, not that he felt disdain for her, and it was this illness that caused her death, not a murder plot. Bitterness running deep, however, Gokudera refused this version of the story and still harbors ill-feeling toward his father.
After returning to the rightful time period, Gokudera befriended, fought, and once again befriended Shitt P., a peculiar transfer student from the Shimon family, as well as confronted his flaws once more (that he doubts himself so intensely and finds worth only through his usefulness to the Tenth) and developed his fighting ability and relationship to the famiglia and his friends further. And finally, Gokudera fought as a representative of Reborn, Tsuna's home tutor and mentor (as well as member of the Arcobaleno, the seven strongest assassins), in the Battle of the Rainbow. After the conclusion of this battle (resulting in the Acrobaleno curse being lifted), it is implied that Gokudera continued his quest to become Tsuna's right-hand man (probably much to the latter's chagrin).