Akiba Tanegashima

"I will prove that my life is worth it all." "Yes, these are floating words. No, These are not fox ears."

Akiha Tanegashima is the eldest son of the Tanegashima Weapons Developement and Science. He joined Beacon thanks to his grandfather. He is a second year and the leader and strategist of Team AYTM despite being a mute.

Personality
Akiha is reserved, easygoing yet shy and is somewhat an introvert. He almost always carries a neutral expression and tries not to tire himself due to him still recovering, yet tries to help others despite his condition. He is very polite and respectful towards others, but shows a more relaxed attitude towards his friends. He treasures the connections he has made with others and protects these connections greatly.

But it is also this kind attitude towards his friends that he fears of losing them. The thought of being alone once again scares Akiha, so he will try to please his friends in any way he can. However, if his friends are in any way hurt or threatened, he will protect them without a moment's notice. Even going as far as severely injuring them anyone who hurt them, but will not kill them, unless its a Grimm.

When he was young he had Anthropophobia, or the fear of people. He was able to conquer the phobia thanks to his family and his friends, who was either told by his grandfather to befriend him, or really wanted to be his friend. He is still afraid of people though, but not as much as before and becomes very cautious when without his friends.

This attitude though doesn't apply when he is around children, instead he is comfortable around them. He believes that kids should act like kids and live happily in innocence. This was after telling his sisters of their parent's death. He had to be strong for his sisters and this inadvertently applied to kids in general.

He is rather caring to the faunus. His family accepts the faunus with open arms with two families living in his family's castle-like manor alongside his family. He is more friendlier and less scared towards the faunus than to human.

He doesn't want to be a burden to others, so he tries to be independent. He believes that he should be capable of caring for himself and shouldn't always need the help of his friends or family. This is also the reason why he learned housekeeping, like cooking and doing chores.

Backstory
Akiha is the firstborn of the Tanegashima Clan in Zen, a archipelago located in the middle of the 4 great continents, in the coastal capital named Tōgan. He was a sheltered child, but he did not fear others. He disliked them. He was very disciplined and loved his family, but loathes strangers. This dislike sprouted on the insults of others, business men and lower-class alike, about his family. During his first days in school he avoided others. He acted cold to strangers keeping a stoic look which scares away others. Whenever someone did try to approach him he would threaten them to stay away or simply stare down the stranger.

This kind of attitude persisted until an incident happened during summer break at the age of 9. He along with his two sisters, Natsumi who was 6 at the time and FuyukI who was 3 years old, went to a resort to relax and have fun. Unknown to him or anyone in the resort was a perfect storm brewing. A group of terrorists aimed for the resort. Not only that, but a renowned mercenary has also entered the resort with plans to eliminate the terrorists who were enemies of his contractor and to kill the noble families who are currently relaxing in the resort. When the terrorists attacked, Akiha was with his parents inside the auditorium while his sisters were outside playing in the swimming pool under the eyes his family's protectors (ninjas), The Toyotomi Clan. The terrorists stormed the the resort, quickly towards the auditorium. The terrorist easily cleared out the area of any security before taking hostage anyone they could find. Meanwhile, Akiha and his parents were being escorted by a stranger in white. The man quickly hid them away in a room, then turned his attention to the terrorist outside. When he left his parents quickly exited the cramped room. But, when they came out they saw that the white clad man had eliminated all of the terrorist. He turned around to see the trio outside and noticed that they were trying to escape. He knew that his contractor disliked any eye witnesses so he quickly killed the two adults before heading to the child. Akiha was helpless as the man grabbed his neck. He felt that his body was shaking violently and was almost died if not for a hunter barging in and interrupting the killer with a kick to the face. The white-clad man was stunned by the surprise attack but escaped.

Akiha was quickly sent to the hospital to be treated. He was suffering internal bleeding and needed to be stabilized. The image of the man never escaped his mind. The doctors succeeded but found a few anomalies. fortunately after a few tests most of the anomalies are not life-threatening, except for one. His aura was somehow released, maybe by the hunter who rescued, which could be the reason he survived long enough to get treated. Akiha's aura is severely weakened and hypothesized two possibilities. The first is that his aura, hopefully, starts to slowly return to normal levels, the second is that his aura depletes until there is no more. They informed Akiha's grandfather, Natsumochi Oda, about it.

He was soon discharged a month afterward. Although he was physically well, his mental health was nowhere near well. He has suffered deep emotional and physical trauma. He had also developed Anthropophobia and due to this he stopped going to school. To help treat his phobia his grandfather asked his best friend and right hand man, Toyotomi Kazemaru to let his daughter befriend Akiha. At first he avoided her for obvious reasons, but she was persistent. He soon accepted her friendship after a half a years worth of requests (due to fear though...) and slowly became good friends. Akiha, with his new best friend, then began to befriend the other families around his home, which was comedic but was a sigh of relief to everyone, especially to his grandfather. Akiha's Athropophobia was somewhat lightened, he can now go outside, but not without an escort. The family also noticed that he did not like parties, but tries to attend nonetheless.

2 years later, the household held a meeting if the Akiha's younger sisters are ready for the truth of their parent's death. Unfortunately, the two eavesdropped ans were greeted with Akiha who noticed them outside the door due to their shadows. He comforted them for the whole night. This moment will also affect Akiha's future personality.

He was homeschooled for most of his childhood. He was fond of machinery and loved reading. He also listened to the many war stories and moral lessons from his family. Back then he was somewhat of a bookworm and would never stop reading until the he either finishes a chapter or the whole book.

On his 11th birthday, an investor and Natsu's good friend from Vale, Tsar Niksolvai, visited with his daughter Anastesia. He was scared at her for her cold, stoic expression. Unfortunately when he entered junior high, she was enrolled at the same school he was. When he was in his second year, he formed an Student Investigation Club, or SIC, with Anastesia (whom he now nicknamed "Sena") and his new friend Apollo Solarion, a lion faunus from the Menagerie who moved in during the time. He formed the club after an incident after school that a student was murdered. The club was also formed due to the many mysteries surrounding the town.

In their last year together, the Student Investigation Club had many new members, 4 schoolmates from all levels, a young tailor, a detective, and his sister Tempera. Since the school allows outsiders to join clubs, they quickly applied. Their biggest case was the hired assassin, Fleece White, who was tasked in killing Akiha. He, Apollo, and his other close friend Ace (Dubbed the AAA by Ace), accidentally stumbled onto him during school break. Fleece tried to escape but the trio gave chase, which was a big mistake. Fleece trapped the trio in an alleyway and was able to almost kill Ace, severely damaged Akiha by cutting his neck, and Apollo by a diagonal cut on his right torso. Akiha was able to shoot him despite having his neck cut, hitting his left lung. The cut was not deep enough to instantly kill Akiha. Apollo, using his newly discovered semblance Dragonblood, defeated Fleece but was unfortunately able to escape. After the attack the killer was never seen again.

The dying trio was saved by a good samaritan and tea shop owner, Avanto Dalus, who came to Zen to find more tea for his shop. Ace barely survived. Akiha was quickly sent to the E.R.. Apollo was the least hurt, thanks to his semblance, and quickly recovered. Akiha's heart failed during operation, and Ace made the ultimate sacrifice by donating his own heart for Akiha's life. All of the doctors and nurses bowed before Ace, and making one last joke before donating. Akiha was in a coma for 2 weeks before awakening to the sight the SIC members and his family. When he heard from the doctor that Ace gave his own heart for him he cried, not because he lost a friend but because of how selfless Ace was that he even gave his own life away. He made a vow to be just as selfless as Ace was to him. He greeted Ace's grave the day after he was discharged from the hospital and prayed.

After the incident Akiha along with his friends had a new resolve to live.

Two years had past. Akiha now wears Ace's red scarf, along with specialized headphones that translates his thoughts into words then projecting it like a hologram. Akiha was weakened physically, but trains daily to regain that strength, as well as now training his mind to become more prepared if he was ever attacked again. Apollo had been training relentlessly ever since that day to become stronger. Vowing to take revenge for Ace's death, he hunts down the murderer while training to become stronger protect Akiha and his loved ones. Anastesia, like everyone else, was depressed at the lost of Ace but she had it harder because she had a crush on him for a long time and the unrequited feelings only sent her deeper into depression. It was her friends who saved her and got her up on her feet, but it was Akiha who did the most in helping her recover and thanks to him and her friends she was able to move on.

After graduating his grandfather quickly applied him for Beacon, alongside Anastesia. The two were supposed to head to Vale for the entrance exams but were greeted by Professor Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch in person just outside the main gate of his home. Ozpin was very interested in Akiha, so he gave him and Anastesia a special exam which was, unknown to them, a B-rank extermination mission to kill a unique Grimm in a forest in Mistral.

When they got there they were tasked to kill an Arakumo, a humanoid spider native to the Black Mist Forest. The type of Arakumo they are tasked to kill is the Mother or alpha female of a nest inside the deepest part of the forest. They were airdropped to an open area in the woods were they easily found and eliminated the Mother. Unfortunately, as they tried to get back to the airship, the Arakumos became furious of the two and went on a mad charge to avenge their fallen alpha. The airship was unable to land or use any sort of line for them to reach in fear that the Arakumos may go for them if they got too close. It was Anastesia's semblance and Akiha's quick thinking that they were able to escape. When they returned home two days, they found Ozpin sitting comfortable in the Tanegashima household along with Glynda, who seems to be quite relaxed as well. Happy at the results of the mission. He officially enrolls them both into Beacon.

Appearance
Akiha is 4'8 tall and has a slim yet fit physique, has brown hair with light brown streaks. On his neck is a horizontal scar and on his left eye an eyepatch. His eyes are unique, the right being a plethora of colors, changing depending on his emotional state, and his left being grayed out when semblance is off, neon green when on. He always wears his deceased friend Ace's long red and yellow scarf and large headphones that most people wouldn't see due to his hair covering it.

Main Outfit:
His main outfit is a modified kikko katabira with an autumn theme. The katabira' color is a gradient of orange to red, from top to bottom, with autumn leaves decorated at the bottom of the skirt. The katabira is closed by three metal plates colored blood red with golden accents. The katabira have large detached sleeves similar to a kimono. A metal band is attached to the upper waist of the ''katabira. ''The metal band uses a magnet to holster his weapon. He also wears wears brown, ballooning hakama and ''suneates. ''His footwear are speciallized boots that have metal soles that split into 3 parts and using a dust crystal can glide on the ground.

Casual Outfit:
Akiha wears a gray striped long-sleeved sweater and white baggy pants.

Combat Prowess
Akiha's skills in combat can surprise many if met for the first time. Akiha's aura is weak but makes up for it by training his body and his mind. Akiha was trained by his uncle in Judo, and is very intelligible due to being a bookworm when he was little. His grandfather taught him how to use a gun, as well giving him Kusanagi as a present on his 16th birthday.

Akiha is a patient fighter who waits for an opening to strike. He would normally tire out his oponents or pick them from afar with a long ranged weapon, e.g. a sniper rifle.

Akiha may use a gun but he also knows his way around a fist fight. Akiha's strength was weakened to 1/2 after Fleece's attack, but is still quite strong for his stature. Akiha waits for his enemies to make a move, then countering them by a throw or a precise hit on the body's weak spots. He also never fights a battle he cannot win. for example, when he is fighting against four people. He can take out one then go for the second, but Akiha has to keep in mind third and fourth so that he does not get surprise attacked. Also, his fighting style may not fully incapacitate a target, which means that they could get back up again. If a situation like this is to ever occur, Akiha will retreat immediately if possible.

He was also taught swordsmanship by an instructor who is the head of a dojo nearby. Although swords or any close-range weaponry is not something he favors, he was attracted to the style by the sword dance the dojo perfoms during festivals in Togan''. ''His weapon of choice for close-range fighting is an nodachi which is very difficult to use but suits Akiha's style of fighting.

His fighting style with his sword is dependent on the enemy striking first. Using the blade more as a shield or vice than cutting, he counters them or throws the enemy, and Akiha is capable of performing aerobic-like throws even in mid-air.

When it comes to shooting, Akiha is an ace. He has keen eyes and is very precise with his shots. Akiha almost never misses and he tries to keep it that way, calculating every shot and weighting the risks and will sometimes abandon the shot altogether if the risk outweighs the reward. This need of precision is why he has a 89.86% accuracy rating.

Against Grimm
Akiha goes into a completely different mindset when facing Grimm. Akiha prioritizes taking out Grimm than anything else and will not give up until he or someone else kills it. He also becomes more cautious knowing that he doesn't have enough aura to protect himself from a direct hit by a Grimm, nor will his judo training will do any sort of damage to them. He will use any tactic and anything around him to defeat the Grimm. Akiha will almost never approach a Grimm or engage a Grimm at close-range. Instead, he shoots them down from a very far distance or uses traps.

If Akiha does get into a situation where he engages a Grimm in CQC, he does so swiftly and as quick as possible. Akiha will always go for the head of a Grimm, since nothing alive has survived without their heads attached (Or so Akiha believes). If he cannot kill the beast within a minute he instead impairs its movements or make the creature incapable of harming him before retreating, aiming for the legs and arms or any part of the creature that will lessen its ability to move or remove its ability to attack him or anyone.

Another factor that will decide if or how Akiha will fight a Grimm is its size. Grimm that are as tall or 2 feet taller than he is are considered the weakest while the larger ones, around twice his size or larger, are more stronger and more difficult to kill. When against such large Grimm, Akiha will retreat to a safer area so as to shoot it down or return home if the odds are stacked against him.

When with his team he acts as a support, shooting down Grimm from afar while giving orders to his teammates. He tries not to get in the way of his more physically capable allies. He also acts as the scouter and will help his allies as well as himself by scanning the area and noting the area and obstacles around them to increase his team's efficiency. He also puts up traps that he tells his teammates to use to make it more easier for them, like using a ice-dust bomb trip wire trap where his teammates lead a flock of Grimm to or cutting down a large tree to create a wall which helps to deter the creatures from chasing after them.

Kusanagi [Combinable Dust Sniper-Katana]
A bolt-action musket with a detachable blade. The musket has a unique firing mechanism. The handle can move by a rail that runs to the left side of the musket's body, as well as turning 90° degrees acting as the weapon's safety lock. The weapon has a latch at the bottom for the blade. The blade is specially made and also has its own detachable hilt. The ammo is located on the top and is ejected once depleted. In front of the ammo chamber are three dust small chambers that Akiha can use to infuse the bullets he shoots with aura.

Pathfinder
[Modifier-Type Active Semblance]

Is like a blank targeting system in with the user inputs the coordinates manually, then shows those coordinates in real time. With this, Akiha can make efficient plans, use it in sniping, or to pinpoint an area, etc.. The ability though has its drawbacks:
 * 1) Overload: Too much information, receive and/or created, will cause Pathfinder to static or even black out. Symptoms include a tremendous headache and a throbbing pain in the eye the semblance was used on which hurts alot, forcing him to close it.
 * 2) Akiha has to put coordinates himself. Though he can create a crosshair, when it comes to things like predicting where an arrow will fall he has to create the path himself. Akiha can predict where the arrow will fall by calculating the trajectory and whatnot but this would take time and plenty of concentration.