Author's Note: Because Akaya is Akaya, and there is a lot to be said about that.
Disclaimer: The Prince of Tennis is not mine.
A is for Akaya
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KIRIHARA, thinks Sanada, is without a doubt a thoroughly troublesome brat, alright. But even then (and Kami-sama only knows that he sometimes wishes that this wasn't the case, so Yukimura might be persuaded to kick Kirihara's loud-mouthed, disruptive ass out of the tennis club once and for all), there's no denying that Kirihara is a brat of rare talent. Granted that said brat still lacks the necessary discipline and self-control to pose a real threat to any of them just yet, but that doesn't stop Sanada – or Renji, or even Yukimura – from quietly anticipating the day that Kirihara finally issues them a challenge he might actually win. Nor does it put him off pushing the kid ever harder in hope of perhaps speeding up the process a little… After all, ten years is far too long. Tarundoru!
THEIR KID DEMON, thinks Jackal, is hardly a poster boy for good manners or even remotely sensible behaviour. He is cocky and rude, loud and abrasive, and this gets him into trouble more often than not. But look a little deeper, and you'll find that Akaya also is fiercely, fiercely loyal to the few people he lets close. He'll fight tooth, nail and downright dirty to protect what's his, and so the rest of them have this unspoken agreement to stick around – just in case he needs them, and God only knows that he does, on a regular basis – for as long as they possibly can.
BAKAYA, thinks Marui, had better do something about his non-existent English skills, and that ASAP. Marui is a volley-specialist of the highest calibre, and as such he can do some truly wicked things at the net, but even for all that genius (or maybe because of it? who knows?) it seems pretty clear to him that with the obvious exception of Yukimura, who eats, sleeps and breathes tennis in an almost surreal way, Akaya is probably the only one in their ragtag band of brothers who'll go on to make it Big.
'RIKKAI DAI'S JUNIOR ACE', thinks Yanagi, certainly deviates from the average norm in all the ways that matter. But even this aspect of their youngest, most volatile member could easily be reduced to just three basic components: talent, confidence and passion. 'AKAYA', on the other hand, Yanagi was quick to discover, consists of nothing less than absolutely everything that he is, everything that he ever was and everything that he aspires to be. So it really goes without saying that Kirihara makes for a rather messy equation to work with, which quite frankly is a nightmare to balance. But Yanagi doesn't mind the added challenge. He isn't a master strategist for nothing.
THE BRAT, thinks Niou, looks simple enough. But don't let this fool you, because Kirihara is not what he seems. Of course, this is true for people in general (and the members of the tennis team in particular), but the brat is really something else. Niou knows, because he has experienced it first-hand: seamlessly slipping into character in front of the bathroom sink late one evening, straight into Red-Eyed Mode. The Illusion worked surprisingly well – almost too well – because he remained under Kirihara's skin only for the five painful heartbeats it took him to wrench his own identity back. Later, Niou vowed to the reflection in the mirror to start treating the kid a bit nicer.
KIRIHARA-KUN, thinks Yagyuu, may stand accused of a great many things (and knowing Kirihara-kun, that is hardly surprising), but Kirihara-kun being a gentleman is definitely not one of them. Because Kirihara-kun speaks too harshly, curses too readily, and he insists on treating those around them with the respect he feels they deserve. Kirihara-kun is too honest to pretend to be something – or someone – he is not, and as such he refuses to mask the brutality of his tennis with that special brand of lethal cunning that otherwise is Rikkai Dai and Yagyuu's forte. And contrary to widespread popular belief, Yagyuu is glad.
THAT BOY, thinks Yukimura, is truly special. He wouldn't be part of the team if he wasn't. Rikkai Dai – Yukimura's Rikkai Dai – is and always will be extraordinary at worst, and as captain he wouldn't have it any other way. But in that boy – in that scrap of a boy with the bright, bright eyes and a talk many times bigger than his walk, but who wouldn't give up then, who doesn't give up now and who is unlikely to give up ever – rest the foundations of a legacy. Akaya, who will not be graduating along the rest of them when the time comes, doesn't know it yet, but he is Yukimura's last and greatest gift to his school, Triple Crown or not.