Archived Application: Kannagara
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Meguro Gau
Canon: Nabari No Ou
Point taken from canon: End of anime series (episode 26), where he's living with Tobari and learning kendo from Raimei.
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Preferred Village: Hisato
Appearance: A good word for Gau is 'unimpressive'. At 5'5" and rather thin, he definitely doesn't take up a lot of space physically. He keeps his black hair just long enough to messily fall into his face and stick out from the back of his neck, and it's the only part of him that doesn't seem well-groomed all the time. His green eyes tend to have a serious cast to them, giving away the approach that he has to life, almost too earnest at times. They light up when he is happy, widen when he's excited, and turn dark and narrow when he's worried or determined. His lips are often turned up in a quiet smile, almost shy.
His favorite clothing to wear tends to run toward the dressy side. Usually dressed in a crisp dress shirt with a tie (the real kind, not clip-on!) under a sweater vest, he prefers dress pants to jeans and is rarely seen truly 'casually' dressed. Tennis shoes, however, are a necessity, to keep up with his busy life. His messenger bag is almost a necessity, because he always has to be prepared for anything. He also now carries a katana given to him by Raimei.
Despite his small size and the fact that he seems to constantly find himself surrounded by people with special skills and amazing strength, Gau moves with a certain determination. His steps are quiet and his movements somewhat self-contained... until he loses his temper, that is.
Once Gau loses his temper, he doesn't walk, he rushes forward on the power of his rage. He throws temper tantrums, clenches his fists, and waves his arms around. Every muscle will tense and every bit of his modest frame will shake with his indignation (righteous or otherwise).
Background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nabari_no_Ou_characters#Grey_Wolves
Although history is no longer required for the application besides a link, I wanted to add a little note about where I'm picking Gau up at. At the end of the anime, Gau is living with Tobari-sensei, attending school, and is starting to study kendo with Raimei. Raikou, who has been the center of Gau's world since rescuing him from his mother's murderer three years ago, is dead. I want to pick up a little while after that, with the idea that he's been studying with Raimei and that his life is starting to settle down in the aftermath of the events of the series.
Personality: Gau's life is largely ruled by a very strong sense of right and wrong. His involvement with the Kairouushuu was partially because of Raikou, who had saved his life, but he also professed a strong loyalty to the goals that the leader claimed, of making the world a better place. He is at his core a very compassionate young man, and is always looking to help people, even at risk to himself. A good example of this, of course, is the fact that he threw himself between Raikou and his sister Raimei while they were fighting, taking a wound that nearly killed him, in an attempt to bring them together again as siblings. Since Raikou's death, he has become close friends with his sister Raimei, and seems to have integrated fairly easily into the lives of those close to her, including the Banten ninja.
Gau's strong sense of loyalty for his friends and his ideals often come out in rather explosive ways. Any slight to someone he cares about, real or imagined, will be met with outrage, and any affront to his sense of what is right will be met with idealistic fervor. That fervor was apparent during his time with the Wakachi, punishing those who used ninja techniques and abilities to cause harm in the outside world. A less serious example, however, would be his attack on Yukimi over his room being a mess, because 'what if Raikou got hurt?'
This particular personality trait earned him the nickname Tenpa-kun during his time with the Kairouushuu. He is quick to point out any dereliction of duty, and calls into question the abilities of those who don't meet his personal standards.
The rest of the time, however, Gau tends to be quiet and polite, and sometimes his words are even a little hesitant. He is used to being in the background, to cleaning up and working on paperwork. His current existence without Raikou is making him a little more independent, but he's still happy to stand back and let other people have the spotlight, in general.
It might be easy to forget that Gau was even in the room if he were in a good mood and not yelling at anyone. He easily fades into the background, though if there's a mess around, he's likely to sneak off and start cleaning without saying anything to anyone. When he's in unfamiliar surroundings he often draws in on himself a little, his shoulders rounding a little, his hands becoming busy with whatever is close by that looks like it could use some attention. If there's nothing to clean or straighten, he'll usually resort to looking for some other way to make himself useful, or studying.
Abilities/Strengths: Gau's ability to cope with things is one of his biggest strengths. He went from living a somewhat normal life to losing his mother to being dragged around the ninja world, and retained his caring nature. His loyalty to those he cares about could also be seen as a strength.
Physically, he has a surprising amount of stamina for his appearance. He's spent quite a bit of time following around ninja, and if nothing else, it's kept him fit. He has some skill with throwing weapons, and has been studying kendo, though his skills are still nowhere near that of his samurai trainer.
On a more mundane level, he's a whiz with paperwork, is good at any kind of housework you can think of, and has a particular skill in baking. He's very intelligent and detail-oriented.
Weaknesses: Gau has spent the last few years surrounded by people stronger than himself; because of this, he does sometimes feel as if he isn't strong enough. He's working on that, both mentally and physically.
His tendency toward idealism sometimes makes him blind. It can be hard for him to change his mind once he'd made it up, and his impulsiveness when he feels that he is doing the right thing can be dangerous to himself and those around him.
Gau's temper could also be seen as a weakness. He is often rude, obnoxious, and even ridiculous when he has lost his temper. Once he gets going, it can be hard for him to get back under control, and he usually requires some outside influence to calm down. In the past, this was usually Raikou (and usually with violence and a smile), but more recently several of his friends have found ways to handle these tantrums.
Defining Quote(s):
If I can make the people of this society the least bit better off, then in order to realize true justice, I will do whatever it takes. -- Gau
Although it was the professional duty of the Wakachi, my hands have been smeared with the blood of many people. I might be no different than the young men who had killed my mother. I realized that ... but I didn't regret anything. ... it was because I wanted to see you, Raikou-san.
I want to be by your side. -- Gau
Your mess reflects you! - Gau
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. -- Martin Luther King, Jr
Other: The fact that I have Gau carrying a sword is headcanon, but at the end of the series, he is learning kendo and with a continued involvement in the Nabari world, it would make sense for him to have one. There was a lot to consider with doing an anime Gau versus a manga version, but I decided to stay with my original intention of developing him from the last episode of the anime, because that particular point in his life (finally learning to be strong himself) was one that intrigued me. With a Raikou in the game, I think it will make an interesting opportunity to merge his new strength and his old dedication without sacrificing either.
Writing Sample:
[Mussed black hair is all that can be seen at first, until the slender arm tilts a bit more, the angle changes, more blue sky and less grass, though the eyes that appear are enough green for any picture. A shy expression, almost a smile, corners of lips twitching.]
I think I might be figuring out how to work this thing. Finally.
[Another shift of the view, because he can't seem to sit still today, the hand holding the Hitomi shaking slightly, a flower drifting in and out of the picture, on the edge.]
I think I might be getting the hang of this world.
[More movement, sudden and fast, as the world seems to shift around him. His fault for lying, perhaps, for saying he had it under control. Now he's dizzy, and it feels almost like being in a coma did, that strange space with no reference points. Except there's nothing but a scar where that wound had been, and he's not hurt now, just lost. Drifting, the roots he'd set down for himself so suddenly cut.]
If anyone is out there...
[He pauses, because what does he want from this unseen audience, these strangers drifting in this same odd world that he has come to? What can they offer him, that he cannot find by himself? There's a trembling to his lower lip, for just a second, as if he might lose control, a narrowing of his eyes as he comes to a decision.]
Never mind.
[For a moment, the face hovers still, the finger poised to turn off the strange device, a waiting for he-knows-not-what, something to make him change his mind. And just before he hits the button, there is one last whisper.]
Mother? Yoite? ...Raikou?
[Nothing.]
Third Person Writing Sample:
Each movement was at once new and old, really, to Gau. The day he first put on his kendo uniform, Raimei had taken him to the store and picked out a pair of skinny jeans for him to wear under it, because it had just felt right somehow.
How did Raikou move in these things?
Physically restricted by the tight denim, he found himself fighting off images of Raikou even as he shifted away from the bokken, trying to stay out of Raimei's reach. His friend, his mentor, moving gracefully not only in the jeans but any number of other ridiculous, impractical things.
I wonder if he ever thought I was boring. He never told me so...
Thinking about Raikou while practicing was inevitable, to some extent. If it weren't for Raikou, Gau would never have had reason to pick up a sword. It wasn't entirely a bad thing; if he thought of Raikou, he could remember how he stepped this way first, and then moved that way, and then swung at just this angle... and the opponent's weapon went flying away uselessly, as the excitable teenage boy jumped up and down and hooted in victory.
It didn't last long, of course. Mere moments later, he was pressed against the floor with Raimei's wooden blade pressed against his throat, the steel in her gaze a good substitute for actual steel in their practice. She, like Raikou, was a samurai, however cute she might appear with her blond pigtails and short skirt. He wasn't any such thing, and would never be, truly, but he had come a long way.
The sword seemed so heavy, then. His sword. My own is weighted differently, and yet... I'm stronger too. I know I am.
Defeated now, the floor scratching at his back a little where his uniform had rucked up under him in his fall, the teen flicked his eyes to the sword he'd left behind for this practice. Shimizu-designed, Fuma-made, and all his own.
"You're almost ready for that," the blond girl standing over him said, following his gaze.
Almost. And thus: "Again, let's go again," he said, even as she reached out a hand to help him up, their eyes meeting and a sort of determined smile shared between them.