Hiyoshi/Taki (Prince of Tennis)
Title: In the Shadows
Author: tokkitsu
Fandom: Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Oujisama)
Pairing: Hiyoshi Wakashi/Taki Haginosuke
Spoilers: Ep. 54, 68 ((I think that’s it.))
Prince of Tennis?
Simply put, it’s a series about the Seigaku tennis team - and Echizen Ryoma in particular - as they forge their way to the Nationals.
But let’s forget about Seigaku for a moment. Let’s focus on Hyoutei, a rival (and arguably the most popular rival) school that Seigaku faces. Their system of choosing the regulars of the team is vastly different from Seigaku’s; rather than having seasonal ranking matches, it’s all about clawing your way to the top. The team is 200 hundred members strong, and each player is fiercely competitive. Should a regular lose in an official match, he immediately loses his spot on the team. Ability is valued over any sort of emotional bond between players.
This is the team that both Hiyoshi Wakashi and Taki Haginosuke are a part of.
I’d like the readers to take note that this pairing is not canon. In fact, there is barely any interaction between these characters at all, simply for the reason that they are both rather minor characters - especially Taki. ((Yes, I am attempting to do a manifesto on a near-crack pairing. I think I'm insane.)) Much of the things that follow are hypothetical and based on their characters on what could have been behind the scenes. ((Granted, spiced with a little bias, of course.))
Hiyoshi Wakashi (otherwise known by the fans as ‘Shroom’)
Proclaimed the next captain of the Hyoutei team, Hiyoshi is currently an alternate player. Despite his almost-guaranteed position next year, his goal is to not only stand at the top, but to bring down the current number one at the same time.
That’s the meaning behind his catchphrase ‘gekokujou’. The term is rooted in history and was originally used when the people revolted and overthrew the daimyo. The ideology fits particularly well to Hyoutei’s system, and Hiyoshi even admits he entered Hyoutei solely because of this. “I entered Hyoutei because of the coach’s philosophy of promoting the winners and discarding the losers.” While the likelihood of him beating Atobe is low, he is a strong player in his own right, even defeating Ohtori in a singles match.
Everything about his tennis screams about his background. His father runs a kobujutsu dojo, and Hiyoshi brings this knowledge of kobujutsu and infuses it with his tennis. In his match against Ryoma, the Seigaku members can only look on in surprise as his stance switches to one typically used when handling a tinbe-rochin. The martial art influences him so much that such a stance is considered his more "natural form."
Hiyoshi isn’t particularly close to anyone on the team or off. Much of the reason is because he’s so focused on climbing to the top that simply doesn’t think about other people. He often has difficulty reading the atmosphere, tending to say the wrong things at the wrong time. But despite his social clumsiness, he’s adept at devising strategies, able to keep relatively calm and collected in tough situations.
Hiyoshi is a loveable shroom, he is. A dork, to be sure, but loveable nonetheless. ((C’mon, “Gekokujou”? Crane stance in the middle of a tennis game? Dork.)) He’s gruff, generally antisocial, and tends to go over the top in his quests to be on the top. Much fun.
Taki Haginosuke (oft forgotten, but much loved when remembered. Really)
The first time we see Taki, he’s a regular member and the doubles partner of Ohtori Choutarou. The next time we see him, it’s down on his knees after a brutal 6-1 defeat by Shishido Ryou. Besides that scene, Taki doesn’t play a major part in Hyoutei’s story, and only shows up occasionally afterwards as a commentator in the Seigaku-Hyoutei matches.
Taki has a habit of leaning lazily against the railing, head cradled in his crossed arms as he watches the going-ons around him. He’s portrayed as easy-going, teasing, and just in general an outgoing guy with a touch of flashiness and arrogance. ((His poses in the videogame Stylish Silver? Yeah.)) His loss to Shishido comes as something of a shock to him, because of how huge the loss was - not only was his position gone, but his pride was severely damaged as well. But he’s not one to hold a grudge; in fact, there is no sign of enmity towards Shishido as he watches the Seigaku-Hyoutei D1 match.
So why HiyoTaki?
While there’s no interaction seen between the two in the series, the pairing is certainly plausible. It is Hiyoshi, rather than Shishido, who takes Taki’s place after he was defeated. However, Hiyoshi with his own level of pride and will for gekokujou, wouldn’t be satisfied with such a method. It goes against his want to fight for the spot himself, to prove that he earned that spot. Even if Taki is the “loser” in this case, and he the “winner,” Taki is not the loser that he conquered. At most, he would consider refusing the spot out of his own pride. The gesture to Taki could mean many things - a semblance of overture, the refusal to acknowledge the worth of his Regulars position - but the action would hold a rather strong meaning behind it nonetheless. Granted, Hiyoshi gets put back to being an alternate when Shishido regains his spot on the team with the help of Ohtori, but this is all pure speculation anyway.
Besides, being on the same team, it would be hard for them not to spend time with each other. Indeed, Hiyoshi’s general gruffness and avoidance of anything social would be all the more reason for Taki to talk with him, if not just to poke him until he exploded. Throw in Gakuto (whom the fans often portray as a good friend of Taki), and Hiyoshi’s definitely got it coming for him. It’s fun. XD
Taki... balances out Hiyoshi. Where Atobe brings out competition, and Ohtori could no doubt tame him with kindness, Taki can tease Hiyoshi into opening up. They... work. In my head, anyway.
I could keep fangirling expounding on the greatness of this pairing, but I’m pretty sure someone would shoot me halfway through. So I leave you with, well… a couple links. ((This fandom is small, damn it. It should be bigger. Yes.))
Fanfiction:
Fair by oyamadayoh - Lovely characterization here. Trey’s also done another one found here, though I admit to not liking this one as much.
Accident by tenshiforgotten - I do so love making people write HiyoTaki How do I put this? Cute. Fluff. Yes. Not tooth-rottingly so, but just enough.
30_kisses series - The 30_kisses series for HiyoTaki
((That’s all. Yeah.))
Fanart:
((All Japanese sites, by the way.))
Yamiya - Damn pretty art, and lots of HiyoTaki. The Valentine’s Day comic is especially cute.
Quatre-quarts - Her comics are just… love, yes. There’s a lot of Rikkai stuff, but a sizable amount of HiyoTaki as well.
Heaven’s Pinky - Pretty HiyoTaki. Very very pretty HiyoTaki. ‘Nuff said.
Credit for pictures goes to Confusticated as well as sublimeparadigm. *unfs on her* Luff to gingaktb for going over the whole thing for me. *unfs on her too* <3 XD
Comments, criticisms (especially criticisms!) will be much loved. ^__^
Author: tokkitsu
Fandom: Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Oujisama)
Pairing: Hiyoshi Wakashi/Taki Haginosuke
Spoilers: Ep. 54, 68 ((I think that’s it.))
Prince of Tennis?
Simply put, it’s a series about the Seigaku tennis team - and Echizen Ryoma in particular - as they forge their way to the Nationals.
But let’s forget about Seigaku for a moment. Let’s focus on Hyoutei, a rival (and arguably the most popular rival) school that Seigaku faces. Their system of choosing the regulars of the team is vastly different from Seigaku’s; rather than having seasonal ranking matches, it’s all about clawing your way to the top. The team is 200 hundred members strong, and each player is fiercely competitive. Should a regular lose in an official match, he immediately loses his spot on the team. Ability is valued over any sort of emotional bond between players.
This is the team that both Hiyoshi Wakashi and Taki Haginosuke are a part of.
I’d like the readers to take note that this pairing is not canon. In fact, there is barely any interaction between these characters at all, simply for the reason that they are both rather minor characters - especially Taki. ((Yes, I am attempting to do a manifesto on a near-crack pairing. I think I'm insane.)) Much of the things that follow are hypothetical and based on their characters on what could have been behind the scenes. ((Granted, spiced with a little bias, of course.))
Hiyoshi Wakashi (otherwise known by the fans as ‘Shroom’)
Proclaimed the next captain of the Hyoutei team, Hiyoshi is currently an alternate player. Despite his almost-guaranteed position next year, his goal is to not only stand at the top, but to bring down the current number one at the same time.
That’s the meaning behind his catchphrase ‘gekokujou’. The term is rooted in history and was originally used when the people revolted and overthrew the daimyo. The ideology fits particularly well to Hyoutei’s system, and Hiyoshi even admits he entered Hyoutei solely because of this. “I entered Hyoutei because of the coach’s philosophy of promoting the winners and discarding the losers.” While the likelihood of him beating Atobe is low, he is a strong player in his own right, even defeating Ohtori in a singles match.
Everything about his tennis screams about his background. His father runs a kobujutsu dojo, and Hiyoshi brings this knowledge of kobujutsu and infuses it with his tennis. In his match against Ryoma, the Seigaku members can only look on in surprise as his stance switches to one typically used when handling a tinbe-rochin. The martial art influences him so much that such a stance is considered his more "natural form."
Hiyoshi isn’t particularly close to anyone on the team or off. Much of the reason is because he’s so focused on climbing to the top that simply doesn’t think about other people. He often has difficulty reading the atmosphere, tending to say the wrong things at the wrong time. But despite his social clumsiness, he’s adept at devising strategies, able to keep relatively calm and collected in tough situations.
Hiyoshi is a loveable shroom, he is. A dork, to be sure, but loveable nonetheless. ((C’mon, “Gekokujou”? Crane stance in the middle of a tennis game? Dork.)) He’s gruff, generally antisocial, and tends to go over the top in his quests to be on the top. Much fun.
Taki Haginosuke (oft forgotten, but much loved when remembered. Really)
The first time we see Taki, he’s a regular member and the doubles partner of Ohtori Choutarou. The next time we see him, it’s down on his knees after a brutal 6-1 defeat by Shishido Ryou. Besides that scene, Taki doesn’t play a major part in Hyoutei’s story, and only shows up occasionally afterwards as a commentator in the Seigaku-Hyoutei matches.
Taki has a habit of leaning lazily against the railing, head cradled in his crossed arms as he watches the going-ons around him. He’s portrayed as easy-going, teasing, and just in general an outgoing guy with a touch of flashiness and arrogance. ((His poses in the videogame Stylish Silver? Yeah.)) His loss to Shishido comes as something of a shock to him, because of how huge the loss was - not only was his position gone, but his pride was severely damaged as well. But he’s not one to hold a grudge; in fact, there is no sign of enmity towards Shishido as he watches the Seigaku-Hyoutei D1 match.
So why HiyoTaki?
While there’s no interaction seen between the two in the series, the pairing is certainly plausible. It is Hiyoshi, rather than Shishido, who takes Taki’s place after he was defeated. However, Hiyoshi with his own level of pride and will for gekokujou, wouldn’t be satisfied with such a method. It goes against his want to fight for the spot himself, to prove that he earned that spot. Even if Taki is the “loser” in this case, and he the “winner,” Taki is not the loser that he conquered. At most, he would consider refusing the spot out of his own pride. The gesture to Taki could mean many things - a semblance of overture, the refusal to acknowledge the worth of his Regulars position - but the action would hold a rather strong meaning behind it nonetheless. Granted, Hiyoshi gets put back to being an alternate when Shishido regains his spot on the team with the help of Ohtori, but this is all pure speculation anyway.
Besides, being on the same team, it would be hard for them not to spend time with each other. Indeed, Hiyoshi’s general gruffness and avoidance of anything social would be all the more reason for Taki to talk with him, if not just to poke him until he exploded. Throw in Gakuto (whom the fans often portray as a good friend of Taki), and Hiyoshi’s definitely got it coming for him. It’s fun. XD
Taki... balances out Hiyoshi. Where Atobe brings out competition, and Ohtori could no doubt tame him with kindness, Taki can tease Hiyoshi into opening up. They... work. In my head, anyway.
I could keep fangirling expounding on the greatness of this pairing, but I’m pretty sure someone would shoot me halfway through. So I leave you with, well… a couple links. ((This fandom is small, damn it. It should be bigger. Yes.))
Fanfiction:
Fair by oyamadayoh - Lovely characterization here. Trey’s also done another one found here, though I admit to not liking this one as much.
Accident by tenshiforgotten - I do so love making people write HiyoTaki How do I put this? Cute. Fluff. Yes. Not tooth-rottingly so, but just enough.
30_kisses series - The 30_kisses series for HiyoTaki
((That’s all. Yeah.))
Fanart:
((All Japanese sites, by the way.))
Yamiya - Damn pretty art, and lots of HiyoTaki. The Valentine’s Day comic is especially cute.
Quatre-quarts - Her comics are just… love, yes. There’s a lot of Rikkai stuff, but a sizable amount of HiyoTaki as well.
Heaven’s Pinky - Pretty HiyoTaki. Very very pretty HiyoTaki. ‘Nuff said.
Credit for pictures goes to Confusticated as well as sublimeparadigm. *unfs on her* Luff to gingaktb for going over the whole thing for me. *unfs on her too* <3 XD
Comments, criticisms (especially criticisms!) will be much loved. ^__^