Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone, it's been a hot minute. I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe out there. I had some writers block and didn't know what to do until one certain game came out… Ghost of Tsushima. Yes, I'm one of the many people that got the game and it blew my mind away; as I love history and Japanese Culture. After finishing the game and getting all the trophies, an idea popped into my head. And yes, I know, I have my Sekiro crossover, but I had to let this happen for I wanted to get out of my block. So I hope all of you enjoy it as much as I do.

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Ghost of Tsushima as they belong to their respective creators.

"A journey awaits, Gilded armor splashed with red, Replace what was lost."

-Haikuu of Rebirth

A stiff gust of wind blew passed a set of samurai sashimono banners that were stuck in the snowy ground in Kamiagata with snow falling, landing upon the bodies of fallen samurai as the moonlight illuminated them. Surrounding them were several bodies of the Mongolian Invaders, with the snow stained with their blood. Even with their valiant stand, it was not enough against the onslaught of the foreigners. This was a sight far too common across the island of Tsushima, yet it gave the people a grim hope that the samurai of the island would never abandon them... Including one individual who they would follow after, even into the depths of the underworld itself. For he had come to their aid when they needed it.

That same individual stood before the sashimono banners, his gaze full of sorrow while his cape fluttered in the gust. On it was a mon crest that many on Tsushima knew all too well even after the disbanding of the clan years ago; the twin mountains of Clan Sakai, adorned on the Ghost of Tsushima, Jin Sakai. Even after long abandoning the traditions of the samurai and embracing his identity as the Ghost, he still honored the dead who gave up their lives in the defense of the island.

"Find peace," Jin muttered out softly to the fallen warriors with a slight bow to them before the wind slowly picked up, a cue Jin already clued in on. Even with his weathered eyes, his resolve was the same as it was years ago. Reaching into his small satchel, he pulled out the iconic mask that was a symbol of hope to the people, and an omen of death to the invaders, the mask of the Ghost. There were notable scratches and chipping to it, but like him, and with plenty of care, it had endured. With a long sigh, Jin slowly placed it upon his face, taking up the imposing look once more before he began to walk off where the wind blew towards.

It had been seven years since the first invasion of Tsushima by the Mongol Empire. Much had changed since then, and those changes had shaped the island in unique ways and its inhabitants. Especially for Jin, having changed him from rigid samurai he once was to the titular Ghost. He was still a man on the run, the shogun from the mainland having disbanded Clan Sakai and branding him a traitor. Yet he always evaded the men sent by the shogun, while his legend continued to inspire the people and gave them hope.

But now, the Mongol Empire once again set its sights to conquer Japan, and Tsushima would bear the brunt of the invasion once more. Again the samurai of the island rallied together to oppose the invaders. Again would they be defeated on Komoda Beach, and the Mongols sweeping across the island just they had done so before with Khotun Khan. They had a vengeance to their march due to the first failed invasion, and they would succeed where Khotun failed for Kublai Khan.

Though even on their warpath, there was a wary advance for the Mongols. The people this time were more stubborn, having raised arms against them even if it meant certain destruction and death from their oppressors. And remnants from the first invasion that managed to slip away back to China brought back a terrifying legend; The Ghost. How he could kill many in just the blink of an eye, having slewed their Khan when a great storm arrived at Port Izumi as if at his beck and call, and how when the wind would howl passed their tents would mean he was close which would spell their demise if they even tried to mount a defense.

Their fear would be his advantage, just has he had exploited the use of fear to protect the people of the island from the remnants of the first invasion and afterwards the bandits that dared to harm the innocent and never wishing to use the moniker of the Ghost to exploit the people.

Just like he had done years ago during the first invasion, Jin assumed the persona of the Ghost yet again to drive the Mongols back into the sea. It had already been over a couple weeks since the Mongols had landed on the beaches of Tsuhshima, having quickly raised war camps and sending raiding parties to pillage and terrorize the people. And over those same couple weeks, Jin did the same as they did to his people. He invaded their war camps with a wind of vengeance behind him, killing any that stood in his way, taking any needed supplies, terrorizing the invaders, slaughtering their noted leaders, and burning down their camps.

Now was no different as Jin had arrived at the edge of a cliff, the soft crunch of snow the only sound accompanying him asides the whistling of the wind. Below him was indeed yet another war camp that the Mongols have set up. Due to the location, Jin noticed that they were easily poised to strike any of the prefectures of Kamiagata. More worryingly, it was near Jogaku Temple. He knew many refugees had fled there for safety, as it was also where previously he had set his base of operations years ago to kill Khotun. So it made sense why they sought refuge there, knowing that the Ghost had once resided there.

If the Mongols would launch a raid on the temple, it would only spell a slaughter. So Jin knew he would need to act to prevent the lose of anymore lives.

Thankfully he was prepared as he looked up, observing the moon. It was still shining, but clouds were quickly rolling in and were most like to obscure it, limiting the lighting the Mongols would have as they'd only have their fires to keep things visible. And the snow as well. Granted it made noise whenever he would move, but it would muffle his movement to them as the noise would dissipate over the distance.

"Time to move," Jin thought as he was now crouched and moved along, with the clouds soon covering the moon, taking away the visibility. And he approached the camp silently, just as a fox would through the woods.

Though as he moved, words had come to haunt him once more as he honestly did feel quiet tired after all these years being the Ghost. "Find me... In the next life..."

His heart grew heavy, his eyes closing as well from hearing those words play through his head like music that would never leave his head. The last words of Lord Shimura, Jito of the island, hero of the Yarikawa Rebellion, dedicated warrior to Bushido... And a father. They were once uncle and nephew, yet Jin knew he was more like a father to him after the death of his own father. Sadly the two had their differences on how to combat the Mongols back during the first invasion and split. They only reunited for only a brief moment back in the cemetery of the Sakai Clan, only to duel each other. Jin would emerge the victor... But at the cost of his Uncle's life to which he honored his wish for a warrior's death. It had been so long ago, but that moment was still so fresh in his mind. And it only hurt all the more knowing that he was adopted by Lord Shimura, to be his heir, the next Jito... And his son.

But Jin knew he couldn't let that distract him for too long as he had a task at hand. He shook his head, steeling himself for what was to come as he neared the camp. "I promise I'll find you in the next life. But until then, I will continue to fight for the people of Tsushima... Father."

From the camp, there were sentries walking about, but most of the Mongolians stationed at the camp were by the fires looking to stay warm as they laughed, talking about their spoils of war. They were eager to find another place to raid to add to their fortune, drinking their milk and stolen sake. To them this was going to be a quiet night for them.

They were too focused on their merriment that they never noticed the wind slowly picking up, as one sentry posted on the furthest point from the camp had suddenly disappeared, with only blood to mark where he once was.

Another sentry soon fell, second furthest from the camp, quickly dying with an arrow found in his back, having pierced through his armor and embedded itself into his heart.

One after another fell, with Jin getting ever more closer. And to his relief and good timing, that was when one of the Mongols by the fires looked around and noticed that some of the men patrolling around the perimeter of the camp weren't around. At first it didn't seem to bother him, though what startled the Mongols was the wind picking up. It was slow at first... before it began to become faster and more intense, causing their tents to flap endlessly as the snow started to come down a little more harder. Having heard the stories of the Ghost, one grabbed for his war horn and blew into it as others scrambled for their weapons. And all began to shout, warning the rest that remained that the Ghost had arrived.

It was the most perfect timing Jin could've asked for, and he took it as he swiftly made his way within the camp. He grabbed the handle of his katana, the Storm of Clan Sakai, and drew it, revealing its still deadly edge and look even after all these years. The Mongols were so panicked that they hadn't noticed a figure creeping within the shadows.

Jin soon approached one from behind, looking like he didn't know what to do, as others tried to look around trying to see where the Ghost was. Then a started scream caught their attention when they all snapped their heads in the direction it came from. And it was one of their poor comrades, seeing a blade sticking out from behind him. He barely had anytime to say anything else before the blade withdrew and he fell forward. And what they saw behind filled them with fear; seeing the shadowy figure they all heard about just barely illuminated by the torches they had placed up. "Ene ... Ene bol Süns yum!" One screamed, seemingly to echo across the camp.

And their fear spread like wildfire, some instantly backing away from Jin in attempts to get to their horses to flee while others had hesitation despite standing their ground. But Jin was going to return them the favor and send them to their ancestors as he rushed forward, pulling off a black ball off his front and threw it down after striking it against his arm making a spark as it lit a fuse. It broke upon impact, and a thick smoke screen burst forth, obscuring the vision of the Mongols. And Jin capitalized on this just like the many times he had done so as he ran in, and began to hack away at the disoriented Mongols.

Their screams filled the air with cold steel slicing through them as they were barely able to put up a fight against the Ghost. The snow fell harder, the wind becoming fiercer as time went on. The smoke screen had disappated thanks to the wind, but it was just enough for Jin as he had cut down a good number of the Mongols. Some still stood, but their fear only skyrockted seeing how easily this legendary figure had done this.

One attempted to fight, running forward with his dual swords ready to cut Jin up. But upon his first strike, it was merely parried by the former samurai when he tried to lunge forward with a thrust attack, only to gag when Jin buried his katana right into his chest, piercing right through his heart which was swiftly followed up by an elbow to his face, pushing him off the katana and fell to the ground.

Others tried to rush in all at once, to overwhelm him in one go. Though Jin quickly reacted as he flicked the blood off of his blade and sheathed his katana while crouching down. Within the blink of an eye once the three got closer, Jin unleashed his attacks, performing a quick draw at the one in front of him before following it up with another slash and another, cutting them down in a near instant.

They fell to the ground as it was soaked with their blood and bodies, and there was only one left in front of Jin from what he could see. The others had fled, as he knew all to well that they would tell the others he was coming.

The one before him had fallen back after tripping on his own foot trying to get away from him as he walked towards the frightened Mongol. He began to beg in to the Ghost, his hand up trying to keep him away in a futile attempt to be spared from him. Jin was soon standing before him, pointing his katana at the soldier before sighing with a glare in his eyes. He then raised his arm up, pointing his katana to the side. "Tell the others... I'll come for them," Jin threatened to him.

The Mongol seemed to understand him, knowing fully well Jin was sparing him to deliver a message. Without delay, he got up before running off into the dark in the worsening conditions.

Jin let out another sigh as he was glad that he was able to get this done quickly. "Time to burn down this camp..." He muttered and walked off to go grab one of the torches still lit within the camp to leave nothing but ashes just like all the other camps.

But just as he reached out towards one to set the camp ablaze, an arrow found itself lodged in the torch he was just about to grab. Jin spun around and saw there were a few remaining Mongolians, all armed with bows and aimed at him. He cursed beneath his breath as one loosed an arrow with the others following suit. Jin brought his katana up, managing to deflect two of the three incoming arrows. Though he gave out a grunt of pain as the last one had eluded his defense and pierced itself into his left arm.

There was no worry at first, but his eyes widened when he felt a searing pain lance through his body, one so familiar when he had experienced it years ago. "Poison..." He thought while taking cover behind a nearby wooden cart as the Mongols continued to fire arrow after arrow to flush him out of hiding.

Jin panted under his breath, trying to keep himself calm despite the poison being in his system. "I... I have to lose them..." He muttered before coughing, tasting blood in his mouth with it covering the inside of his mask.

Thinking quickly, Jin ripped the arrow out from his arm, trying to prevent more poison from entering his body and worrying about the would later. He then removed another black ceramic ball off of his chest and glanced at it. "This will buy me time..."

Jin soon broke out into a sprint out from his cover, running right towards one of the nearby torches and reached out towards it with the bomb in hand, trying to light the fuse. More arrows whizzed past him, having a few close calls. But his gamble had paid off seeing the fuse sparking up once it made contact with the flames. Mustering as much strength and focus he could, he turned his attention to the arches and threw the bomb right at them. It sailed through the air, arching towards the Mongols before it landed by them. He didn't bother trying to see if it worked as he needed to escape. And his only chance was through the brewing snow storm that threatened to engulf the camp. So Jin ran, dragging his feet as his body slowly started to feel heavy while an explosion went off accompanied by screams.

Jin trudged his way through the snow, trying to keep his focus up with the poison still working its way through his body, doing its damage. The storm only worsened, the snow falling in droves, settling on his body. But he felt so weak now. Years ago when poisoned before, he was lucky that Yuna had found him. It would be a miracle if he was to live through this.

A weak laugh escaped from his lips as his steps became more sluggish now, even using his katana to keep himself propped up. "Ryuzo... You always did... Did say I was lucky... But it seems like... My luck has finally run out..." Jin rasped, his vision becoming blurry.

He was some distance away from the war camp now, trying to hold on for a little while longer. Though Jin soon collapsed onto his knees, coughing up more blood, watching it drip through his mask and dying the snow red. He tried to get back up, leaning on his katana to prop himself up. But his legs gave out and he fell back down, his face making contact with the ground as his katana stood beside him, lodged in the snowy ground.

Jin struggled to breathe now, his vision now darkening as he gripped his hands into fists. The Mongols were still on Tsushima, killing his people and destroying their homes. He still had to defend them. But he knew that would be a promise he wouldn't keep now.

The snow continued to fall, building up on Jin with his eyes slowly closing. This was his fate he reckoned, but he knew that if he was to die here, then he did so following his own path, defending his people to the end even if it was a break from tradition.

He managed to get in one last gasp of air into his lungs, his eyes now closed as his body relaxed. "I'm... Coming home... Father..."

And like that, Jin Sakai, former head of Clan Sakai, the Ghost of Tsushima, had breathed his last. It wasn't long as the snowstorm did its work, covering up his body, hiding him from the world, where the only thing that would mark his death was the defiant stand of the blade of Clan Sakai.

Though while his death would be unknown to the people, his legend never died out. It continued to bring hope to the people, giving them the courage to fight back at the Mongols, And his legend would slow the invasion, as even they feared that he would return from the dead to slaughter them in their sleep.

And eventually, Tsushima and the mainland would be sparred the Second Invasion. The people of Tsushima would tell others that a divine wind had blown in, blessed by Hachiman, or even summed by the Ghost himself that would sweep the invaders back into the sea and destroyed the armada. No more would the Mongol Empire attempt to invade Japan, their reputation tarnished by the likelihood of this small island nation.

For Jin Sakai, his legend continued to live on in the hearts of the people, his legacy to endure for centuries to come as his exploits and stories would be passed down from generation to generation.

But while his legend was over at Tsushima, it was to begin anew in a new world, where the darkness comes in many forms and the innocent need stalwart defenders. And he would protect them regardless, for it was part of his code, to defend the innocent, just as his own father had done so before.

Jin felt like he was floating in a dark space. Was this the afterlife? He couldn't say, it was too soon to think as such. All he knew was that he had been poisoned and was laying in the snow dying like a flower in autumn. "I guess this is the next life..." Jin thought to himself.

But what would carry him out from his state was when he felt something... Soft beneath him. That made no sense to the former Samurai, knowing he had fallen forward. And he didn't feel cold either. Instead, he felt warm, with some covering him up to his shoulders.

"What... What is happening?" Jin thought with confusion now wracking his head. And what would surprise him next was when he shocked himself... With his eyes slowly prying open before a gasp followed suit. What his vision was met with was a startling brightness as he sat up, his body feeling sore all over. He blinked a few times, his vision slowly adjusting to his surroundings. When it finally did, he was only met with more confusion.

He wasn't out in the snowy landscape of Kamiagata. He saw that he was inside a building, one that looked alien to the former Samurai. Nothing looked familiar. No wooden walls or floors, no shoji in sight. Even the bed he was laying on was foreign, far from the familiar sight of a futon. It was soft, but it was strange. His surroundings were a rather dark color, with plenty in the color of grey and white with the occasional blue as well.

Jin then noticed the clothing he was wearing, nothing like the clothes he often wore, feeling the strange fabric. His armor was removed, and it was nowhere in sight along with his weapons and tools. He felt naked without them. Though had had noticed there was bandages wrapped around the wound he got from the arrow. So whoever had found him had saved him.

"Where... Where am I?" He muttered out trying to gain his bearings. He wanted to look around, but he still felt quite weak and he knew attempting to get out of the bed would only do him more harm than he needed right now.

Jin's ears then twitched when he heard footsteps approaching, his body tensing up in alert. He was unarmed, but he was ready to defend himself if whoever was coming if they were with ill intention.

He waited, hearing the footsteps come closer. He could tell there was more than one. "Outnumbered... I need to be careful with my actions."

Eventually the footsteps got closer with his eyes locked on the door which soon opened. He swallowed a dry lump in his throat, steeling himself for what was to come.

To his shock and added surprise, he saw two figures standing at the doorway, one male and the other female. They were dressed in strange attire he was not familiar with. Though by first glance he could tell they were some type of military, but far from any sort of army or warrior he has crossed paths with.

The male stood quite tall, perhaps even taller than most Mongol warriors Jin had crossed blades with. His hair was black, though greying at the sides, short and looked formal. His eyes were blue and looked sharp, and in them he could see the eyes of a leader, like Lord Shimura. There was a notable point of metal above his right eye, for what purpose Jin could think of was a mystery to him.

The woman though was an anomaly to Jin. For one, she had long snow white hair tied up in a ponytail, with an icy blue gaze that stared right at Jin. In her eyes, he could see discipline, the eyes of what a samurai would have.

The man though was the first to break the silence as he walked towards Jin with a nod. "Ah, I see that you're awake. I thought you would never wake up after Specialist Schnee found you buried in the snow."

Jin slowly nodded at him, keeping some caution but knew better than to stay quiet. He needed to know what was going on. "How... How long has it been when I was found?" He asked with some hesitation in his voice.

The man noticed his apprehension, something he was familiar with over the years. Best to find out who this stranger was before coming to any conclusions. "It has been nearly a week, five days at most."

Jin widened his eyes at this. How could it be? No, there was no possible explanation for that. He was poisoned, he should've died shortly afterwards with the concentration that arrow had. "Five... Five days?"

The man nodded once more as he had gotten closer and closer before he was standing beside Jin's bedside with the white haired woman doing the same, standing at attention with her arms behind her back.. "You're lucky that you were found. Any longer in the snow along with the poison we found in your body and we wouldn't have had a chance to save you. But thankfully you're here with us," The man told him.

Jin nodded in return to him as he tried to calm himself down. He would figure that out later. He needed know who his saviors were. "I-I'm sorry... Who are you two?"

This did raise a flag in the man's mind, but nothing that deemed it as dangerous as he saw how confused he was. "I'm General James Ironwood of Atlas. And the one beside me is Specialist Winter Schnee of the Schnee Family, and the one who rescued you."

The woman, known as Winter, bowed her head a little to Jin. "It's a pleasure to meet you," She said in a rather formal tone.

Those were names that Jin was unfamiliar with, never having heard them back on Tsushima or from the mainland. But he knew he would need to introduce himself to them. As much as he wanted to keep his name hidden, it would only serve to bring suspicion. "... I am Jin Sakai."

That brought another flag to Ironwood, as Jin's name was a mystery to him too. He's never heard of him amongst all the Huntsmen out there despite seeing all the armor and gear they on him, and strangely enough, no Aura either, as if it was never unlocked in the first place. Yet even looking into Jin's eyes, he saw no ill intention whatsoever, only confusion. He would need to tell Ozpin about Jin as he was certainly quite the anomaly.

There would be more information that would need to be figured out for both parties. But for now the basics were out of the way as Ironwood cleared his throat. "You must be hungry, Mr. Sakai. Would you like something to eat?

Jin wanted to decline at first for that offer, but his stomach betrayed him when it let out a loud growl causing him to look rather embarrassed from that. "... Some food wouldn't hurt."

"Very well. Then I can arrange for some food to be taken to your room and-"

"No... That won't be necessary," Jin interjected to Ironwood as he didn't wish to stay in bed longer.

"Mr. Sakai, with all due respect, you still need to recover," Winter told him trying to talk some sense into him.

Jin just shook his head at her as he slowly moved his legs to the edge of the bed. Granted he felt like death, but he didn't want to stay in bed much longer now. It would be good to walk around again, help get the blood flowing and organize his thoughts."I'm for one not to sit around and do nothing. Moving around would do me some good," Jin replied back to her.

Winter went to go respond again but Ironwood stopped her by raising a hand and shook his head. "If you wish then, Mr. Sakai. Allow Specialist Schnee to escort you to the mess hall where you can have something to eat. We can continue our conversation later once you have some food in your stomach."

Jin could only bow in thanks to Ironwood as he breathed deeply. "This is too strange for even me. But if I'm to know what is going on and where I am, I must move and learn as much as I can."

So with a nod and a long sigh, Jin got his legs over the side of the bed and slowly got up on weak legs but maintained his balance. And with the first step he took, his new legend began.