Hospital
The room was silent except for the soft beeping of the heart monitor. Rinko lay motionless in the hospital bed, his breathing slow and shallow. His normally pale complexion had lost what little color it had, and a faint sweat clung to his brow. Despite the warmth in the room, an unnatural coldness clung to him.
Shion Zaiden, a huntress specializing in Nightmare Grimm, stepped forward, assessing him with a critical eye. Her fingers twitched against the silky threads of her weapon, a specialized tool designed to extract and contain Nightmares.
"So... this must be the guy," she muttered, tilting her head as she glanced back at the group standing behind her.
Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Oscar stood tense, their gazes locked on Rinko. Weiss was gripping her arm, her knuckles white. Yang had her arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched. Even Ren, usually composed, had a furrowed brow, his eyes betraying concern.
"Yes," Weiss said, her voice firm but laced with urgency. "He has a Nightmare Grimm within him. How do we get rid of it?"
Shion hummed, stepping closer to Rinko's bedside. "Well, let's take a look first."
Without hesitation, she reached forward and unbuttoned his hospital gown, peeling it down to expose his upper torso.
A few sharp intakes of breath followed.
Weiss stiffened, her face heating ever so slightly before her eyes locked onto something far more pressing. Yang snapped her gaze, her expression hardening upon observing Rinko.
Their eyes widened at what they saw.
Dark, vein-like markings sprawled across Rinko's chest, winding and curling like the roots of a creeping vine. They pulsed faintly, shifting just beneath the surface of his skin like something alive.
"W-what...?" Yang's fists clenched, her golden eyes narrowing.
"The doctors should've seen this when they had to scan Rinko.. This means that this one's recent." Jaune murmured more to himself.
"It's still fresh, yet... desperate," Shion murmured, tracing the edges of the spreading marks with a careful touch. "This Nightmare is holding on for dear life. If it's this aggressive, that means he's fighting back hard. Do you have any idea where he might've picked it up?"
The group exchanged uneasy glances before Ruby stepped forward.
"F-from when we were stranded outside Argus," she said, swallowing hard. "We found a place to take shelter—a small farm called Brunswick Farms. But when we got there... it was a ghost town. Everyone was already dead."
"It was... horrible," Blake added softly, her ears flattening at the memory.
Shion let out a quiet sigh. "Brunswick Farms, huh? That makes sense."
"You've heard of it?" Ren asked.
She nodded. "It's not the first time I've heard of Nightmare infestations in abandoned places. But if an entire village was wiped out, then the Grimm there must have gone into survival mode. No hosts left, no more easy prey. It was desperate."
She turned back to Rinko, her violet eyes gleaming with determination. "Which means we have no time to waste."
With a flick of her wrist, Shion loosened her staff. Purple threads unraveled from its tips, flowing like liquid light. The ends wove together, forming a soft, glowing structure—an intricate web-like platform infused with a faint purple energy.
She glanced back at the group. "I'll send you into his Nightmare."
The air in the room seemed to thicken, pressing down on their chests.
Weiss's breath hitched. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Shion met her gaze, unwavering. "To remove a Nightmare Grimm, we have to fight it from within. The Grimm attaches itself to the host's mind, creating an illusion—a dream that traps them in an endless loop of fear, regret, or despair. If we want to save him, we have to enter that dream and free him from it."
Jaune stepped forward. "How do we do that?"
Shion raised her hand, and the silver threads pulsed with light. "I'll connect you to his consciousness and pull you inside his mind. You'll be in his Nightmare, experiencing whatever horrors it has created to keep him trapped."
Yang's fists tightened. "And if we don't stop it in time?"
Shion exhaled. "Then the Grimm will win. It will completely siphon his Aura, and once it's done, the Grimm will multiply, seeking a new host."
A grim silence followed.
Weiss took a shaky breath before stepping forward. "Then what are we waiting for? Send us in."
Shion smirked slightly. "That's the spirit."
She gestured toward the glowing web-like bed.
"I can only send five people inside his consciousness. Who's willing to go?"
Team RWBY didn't hesitate—they all raised their hands at once.
Team JNPR, however, exchanged hesitant glances. The weight of the decision pressed on them. They wanted to help, but who among them should go? How could they choose?
Then—Oscar stepped forward. "I'm going." His voice was steady, resolute.
Nora frowned, concern lacing her tone. "Oscar... are you sure about this?"
Oscar hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head. "I am... but I'm not the one going."
His meaning was clear. The atmosphere shifted.
Ozpin.
A cold prickle ran down Ren's spine. He narrowed his eyes, his mind working through the implications. "I see," he murmured.
Oscar nodded, pressing a hand over his chest as if steadying himself. "He... He can help. He's seen things like this before. If there's anyone who can guide us through the Nightmare, it's him."
Shion studied Oscar carefully. For a long moment, she said nothing, merely observing the subtle shift in his posture—the quiet authority in his stance, the way his presence felt just a little more... composed. It wasn't just Oscar standing before her.
Finally, she nodded.
"Alright. That makes five."
Turning back to the glowing threads, she lifted her staff, and the silver strands pulsed in response.
"Lie down." Her voice was steady but firm. "Once the connection is made, your bodies will remain here, but your minds will be drawn into Rinko's subconscious."
Team RWBY and Oscar stepped forward, exchanging brief glances before settling onto the woven platform. The soft, silk-like threads cradled them, their glow pulsing in rhythm with Shion's Aura.
With a graceful twirl of her staff, the threads reacted, shifting and curling upward. Thin strands extended, wrapping gently around their arms and covering their eyes like a delicate veil. The light pulsed in a slow, steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat.
Shion inhaled deeply, centering herself. Then, she channeled her Aura.
"Hold on tight," she warned. "You're about to enter a world shaped by his mind... and his fears."
With a final surge of energy, the threads pulsed—and the world around them fractured. The hospital room dissolved into darkness. Then, everything faded to black.
Dreamscape
Kakashi's eyes fluttered open. His body ached, battered and bruised, while the dim glow of a single overhead lightbulb cast flickering shadows across the cold, unfeeling walls. His breath was slow, controlled—but his mind was a haze.
He stirred, only to feel the sharp bite of metal around his wrists. Shackles. He pulled at them instinctively, the iron restraints clanking loudly against the stone walls of his prison. His mask was scratched, and dirtied, but still intact.
Then it hit him. The fight.
He had been battling a shadowy figure. A relentless, formless entity that moved like a ghost, striking from the darkness. He had fought hard. And then—
He had been stabbed.
By a maid.
A maid? That part made no sense. His fingers twitched against the cold metal restraints as he tried to grasp the logic of it. Was this real? A hallucination? A Genjutsu? No—he could still feel the phantom sting of the blade in his back.
It felt too real.
A sound echoed through the chamber—footsteps.
Slow, deliberate, drawing closer. He turned his head toward the source, his lone visible eye narrowing.
A shadowed silhouette emerged from the darkness. It wasn't the faceless entity he had fought before. No—this one was different. More familiar.
Then the figure stepped into the light.
Obito.
Kakashi's breath hitched for just a fraction of a second. The face before him was unmistakable—shrouded in that same quiet confidence, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His Sharingan gleamed, and his lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"How are you feeling, old friend?"
Kakashi's lips parted, confusion laced in his voice. "Obito..? What are you—" A fist slammed into his stomach and pain exploded within his gut.
"Ugh—!" Kakashi coughed, his body jerking forward against the restraints. But Obito wasn't finished.
Another punch. Then another.
And another.
The hits came in brutal succession—pummeling his ribs, his face, his gut—leaving no space for air, no moment for reprieve. The force of the blows rattled his bones, pain flooding his senses with each brutal strike. Blood splattered across the walls.
His body sagged in the restraints, gasping, the edges of his vision darkening. His bruises deepened, the warmth of his own blood staining his torn clothes.
And then—it stopped.
Kakashi's breath shuddered. He forced his eyes open.
But Obito was gone.
Instead, Rin stood before him.
Her gentle smile remained unchanged—warm, sweet, almost nostalgic. But there was something off about it. Something unnatural.
She stepped forward, the soft click of her heels against the floor the only sound in the suffocating silence.
"You're so lucky," she whispered, tilting her head slightly.
Kakashi stiffened.
'Lucky?'
"The world is so unfair, isn't it?" Rin continued, her voice still light, almost teasing. "How is it that you got to live... while we died? While we suffered?"
Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. "No... Rin, I— cough—"
She raised a hand, pressing it against her chest. Kakashi's blood ran cold.
A gaping hole rested where her heart should have been. The wound he had given her.
His fault.
His failure.
"You did this," Rin murmured, her voice turning sharp. "To me."
Kakashi's throat tightened. "I—... I..."
But no words came.
His vision blurred, his mind screaming at him to move, to do something, but his body remained frozen in place.
And then—Rin's face melted away.
Her warm, bright expression twisted, dissolving into something horrific. A Chimermage.
Her soft features stretched into a monstrous, hollowed-out Grimm skull, jagged teeth curling into a grotesque sneer. Her eyes, once filled with light, were now empty pits of darkness.
Horror made of ooze, but before he could react, the creature lunged.
Wet, bony, clawed fingers wrapped around his throat as Kakashi choked. "No.. This isn't real.." Kakashi muttered. "You are not real!" He spat at the Chimermage.
The Chimermage's form changed into a different Grimm he didn't quite recognize.
It was Nightmare.
The damp hands turned into vines, tightening their grip on Kakashi's neck. As the vines engulfed Kakashi, his vision blurred once again. "No.." He muttered one last time before his vision cut to black.
The Nightmare laughed.
The sound was wrong—distorted, echoing, like dozens of voices speaking at once while the vines tightened.
Team RWBY and Ozpin — Dreamscape
A sudden rush of wind.
Then—light.
The world lurched, and suddenly, the five of them hit the ground hard. The sensation of dirt against their skin was all too real as they groaned and pushed themselves up as the sunlight bathed them.
Weiss was the first to stir, blinking against the blinding sunlight. She instinctively brushed off her sleeves, her hands coming away dusty.
"Ugh..." She muttered, turning her head to the side.
There, beside her, was Professor Ozpin.
Except—he looked disoriented. His hand pressed against his forehead, as though his mind were reeling from the sudden shift in reality.
"Professor Ozpin...?" Weiss's voice held an uncharacteristic hint of concern.
Ozpin inhaled sharply before exhaling in a controlled manner. His posture stiffened as he lowered his hand and gave Weiss a slight nod.
They were here. Wherever 'here' was.
"Where... are we?" Yang's voice rang out as she pushed herself upright, her golden locks slightly ruffled from the fall.
A warm breeze brushed past them, carrying the sounds of a bustling town. Footsteps, idle chatter, distant laughter—it all surrounded them.
Blake's ears twitched as she quickly scanned their surroundings. Buildings of wood and paper, tiled rooftops, red lanterns hanging from strings above the narrow streets. The roads weren't paved with stone or concrete, but dirt—trodden down by countless feet over time.
This wasn't Remnant.
"This... isn't Atlas," Blake muttered under her breath.
Ruby was the last to fully sit up, shaking her head. "What just happened?"
Ozpin took another measured glance around them, his sharp gaze following the flow of people. Clearly, they weren't alone.
Passersby walked past them, giving them strange looks—some curious, some wary. A few whispered among themselves.
Weiss dusted off her dress with an exasperated sigh. "Wherever this is, it feels—primitive."
At her words, a man walking by scoffed.
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" he muttered before shaking his head and continuing down the street.
Blake shot Weiss a look. "Maybe let's not insult the locals?"
Yang stretched her arms, rolling her shoulders. "Okay, but seriously, where the heck are we?"
Ruby pointed ahead, her silver eyes wide.
"Guys..." she hesitated. "Look."
They followed her gaze.
Rising above the rooftops was a massive stone monument. Four colossal faces, carved into the mountainside, stood as silent guardians over the village below. Each one bore a resolute expression, their features chiseled with precision and care.
"Whoa," Yang muttered, shading her eyes as she took in the sight. "That's... new."
Blake studied the faces, her golden eyes narrowing. "They must be important."
Ozpin's brows furrowed in deep thought. Something about this place felt... familiar.
He exhaled slowly.
"We're not just in Rinko's mind," he murmured. "We're in his past.. Kakashi's past." Ozpin said, gaining everyone's attention.
"Kakashi?" Blake frowned slightly.
"That's.. His past name. The life before he replaced Rinko's soul." Ozpin explained as they began walking down the unfamiliar streets of Konoha. Team RWBY followed behind.
The village bustled with life around them. Shinobi in flak jackets moved with quiet efficiency, merchants called out their wares, and children darted between the crowd, laughing as they played. There was a structure to this place—different from any city in Remnant, yet it was unmistakably a home to warriors.
"Professor Ozpin..." Weiss finally spoke, her voice measured. "How do you know this?"
Ozpin glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
"Back at Beacon, we spoke about reincarnation. He was hesitant at first, but eventually, he confided in me," Ozpin said. "He told me about his past. His life as a ninja. A leader. A warrior. And his name..." He met Weiss's gaze.
"Was Kakashi Hatake."
The name lingered in the air, heavy with unseen history.
Team RWBY paused at the thought.
The name hung in the air, heavy with unseen history.
Weiss's lips parted slightly, her hands tightening into small fists. Kakashi Hatake. Her brother—no, Rinko—had always been different from the family she remembered, but this...
She had always known something was off. But hearing this?
It feels.. Overwhelming. It wasn't just a personality shift. He wasn't merely "different" from the Rinko Schnee she grew up with.
He really was a different person.
Yang let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of her head. "That's... a lot to take in."
"Indeed," Ozpin replied. He turned his gaze toward the village around them. "Right now, we're walking through the place where he was born. The Village Hidden in the Leaf."
Ruby tilted her head. "That's... a weird name for a village." She glanced around. "I mean, it's not exactly covered in leaves."
Blake smirked slightly. "It probably has a deeper meaning behind it, Ruby."
Ruby hummed in thought, but her silver eyes kept drifting back to the massive monument of faces carved into the mountainside. "I thought we were in a nightmare. Why does it feel more like a trip down memory lane?"
"Yeah... it sure does feel like it," Yang muttered, glancing around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
As they continued walking, Weiss suddenly caught a glimpse of someone passing by. A silver-haired boy. His posture was relaxed but sharp, his hands tucked into his pockets. A sword strapped to his back. His face is hidden behind a mask.
Her breath hitched.
It wasn't just her—the entire team felt it. A strange pull toward him.
The way he walked, the effortless control in his movements—it all reminded them of Rinko.
The sword. Weiss's mind flickered back to the mission at Mountain Glenn when she had seen Rinko wield a blade with that same quiet precision. The boy moved past them. Instinctively, Weiss and the others turned their heads to watch him go, their steps faltering.
They paused mid-step.
Ozpin noticed. "Something wrong?"But the team couldn't answer right away. This... this was something else. This wasn't just a resemblance. This was him.
Weiss felt a strange tension settle in her chest. She turned slightly, only to find her teammates still staring at the silver-haired boy.
The way he carried himself, the sword on his back, the quiet yet confident way he moved—it was too familiar.
"Is it just me... or does that boy walk way too much like Rinko?" Yang muttered.
No one argued.
The thought had already taken root in their minds.
"That's him. It must be him." Blake's voice was quiet, almost hesitant.
A beat of silence passed between them. The streets of Konoha felt eerily still as the distant chatter of villagers seemed muffled as if the dream itself was holding its breath.
Before any of them could decide what to do next—Weiss moved.
Her feet carried her forward before she even realized it. Her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, her heart pounding against her ribs. Her fingers trembled slightly as they reached out—brushing against the fabric of his uniform, then closing around his shoulder.
The boy stopped.
The world around them seemed to slow.
Weiss swallowed hard, her fingers tightening instinctively. He felt real. Solid. Warm beneath her touch.
Slowly, he turned.
His eyes—one dark, the other tinted red with a strange, swirling pattern—met hers. A thin, sharp scar marred his left eye, and in that moment, a strange, painful recognition struck her.
"Rinko...?" she whispered.
The boy tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing. "Rinko?" he repeated, his tone laced with confusion.
For a second, the air between them was thick with tension. But beneath Kakashi's shadow, something shifted.
Tiny, writhing tendrils coiled beneath his feet, barely perceptible—like veins of darkness pulsing through the cracks in the stone road. No one noticed. Not even Kakashi.
Then, without warning—he slapped Weiss' arm away.
Weiss gasped, stepping back as the sting of rejection spread through her fingers.
"Sorry... Just—" Kakashi exhaled sharply, shaking his head. His voice was cool, distant. "If you have no business with me, then I suggest you leave me alone."
The words cut deeper than Weiss expected.
She flinched, her hand falling limply to her side. There was no warmth in his tone. No familiarity. Just a wall of indifference so thick it felt suffocating.
Kakashi turned, resuming his walk as if nothing had happened.
From a distance, Ozpin and the others watched the exchange in silence.
Ozpin let out a quiet breath, his expression somber. "I... I think this is the phase after he lost Rin and Obito." His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried the weight of understanding.
Blake's ears twitched. "Rin?" she echoed, picking up on the familiar name.
Ozpin nodded, his gaze still fixed on Kakashi's retreating figure. "Yes... This was one of the darkest times in his life. He lost both of his teammates in the span of a few short years. The first was Obito... a boy who, with his dying breath, entrusted Kakashi with his Sharingan—the same red eye you just saw. A part of his soul, a final wish for his friend to see the world through his vision."
The team listened in stunned silence.
"But Rin... she was different," Ozpin continued, his voice tinged with quiet grief. "She didn't die in battle. She didn't fall to an enemy's blade." He exhaled, closing his eyes briefly as if the memory itself weighed heavy. "She ran into Kakashi's attack. Willingly. Chose to die by his hand."
A thick, suffocating silence settled over them.
Weiss bit her lips. Although she was a bit far from the others, she could hear Ozpin.
Ruby swallowed, hugging her arms to her chest. "Why... why would she do that?"
Ozpin's gaze softened, "She was taken by enemy forces. They turned her into a weapon, forcefully sealing a beast inside her. Their plan was cruel: release her back to this very village, where the beast would be unleashed and destroy everything."
Ruby's eyes widened in horror. "That's awful..."
Ozpin nodded solemnly. "She knew what would happen if she returned. So when the moment came... she made a choice." His voice softened. "She threw herself in front of Kakashi's attack. Forced him to be the one to end her life before the enemy's plan could succeed."
Kakashi had to kill his own friend. Not because he wanted to. But because he had no other choice.
Yang clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. "That's... so messed up," she muttered.
Blake's ears drooped slightly. "And he's been carrying that guilt ever since..."
Ozpin sighed. "Kakashi has suffered more than most. Losing both teammates, then later his teacher. It hardened him. He learned to shut himself off from others... because in his mind, getting close only meant losing them."
Weiss's eyes remained locked on the boy in the distance.
Kakashi walked alone. Always alone.
And yet, beneath his feet, the Nightmare Grimm slithered unseen, its shadow clinging to him like a parasite. Whispering. Feeding. Waiting.
Weiss turned to them, "Let's follow Rinko. Maybe he could lead us where the Nightmare is!"
The team hesitated for a moment, unsure. But Weiss has already made up her mind. She followed Kakashi before everyone could say anything. Thus, they exchanged brief glances before following after Weiss.
They followed Kakashi to a ramen shop, then after the ramen shop, he went to the park and he sat there alone, watching the kids play while he merely watched them.
They followed him throughout the day. As the afternoon hit, Kakashi went to the cemetery.
"We're.. In a cemetery." Ruby said as they were hiding behind trees and bushes. They observed Kakashi as he replaced a withered flower with a new set of bouquets at a specific grave.
He stood there for a moment before leaving the grave.
Team RWBY instinctively went to the grave where he had been moments earlier. The weight of the moment settled over them as they stared at the carved name: Rin Nohara.
Blake knelt beside the grave, tracing her fingers lightly over the engraved letters. "Rin..." she murmured.
A girl who had chosen death at the hands of a friend. A girl whose loss still haunted him.
Blake swallowed hard. "He still brings flowers for her."
"He's never let go," Ruby whispered.
Yang's jaw clenched. "And he probably never will."
A silence fell over them, heavy and suffocating. Kakashi had been alone this whole time. His pain, his guilt—it was a burden he never shared. Never allowed anyone to see.
Except now, they were seeing it all.
Ozpin finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "Now you understand. This is what the Nightmare Grimm has latched onto. His pain, his regrets... his grief. His Nightmare."
Weiss's hands tightened into fists at her sides. 'Of course...'
This entire world, this entire dream—it wasn't just a memory. It was a wound.
And the Nightmare Grimm was feasting on it and Weiss refused to let it win.
"We need to keep following him," Weiss said, straightening. Her resolve was set. "If we're going to find the Nightmare, we have to go deeper."
Blake stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees. "You're right. We've only seen pieces of his past, but that Grimm is still hiding somewhere."
The team exchanged glances before nodding.
Determined, they turned away from the grave as they followed Kakashi. Soon, evening came. He was heading to his house.
As the sky deepened into hues of orange and violet, Team RWBY and Ozpin trailed behind Kakashi through the quiet streets of Konoha. Shadows stretched long across the village, and the distant hum of life faded into stillness.
The silver-haired boy walked with practiced ease, his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed yet guarded.
But then—He stopped, right in the middle of the dirt road. The sudden halt sent a shiver down Weiss's spine.
He knows.
Slowly, deliberately, Kakashi turned. His gaze—one dark eye and the eerie crimson glow of the Sharingan—locked onto the trees behind him.
Right at them.
"Why are you following me?" His voice was calm, and controlled, but beneath it lay something sharper. A warning.
Team RWBY stiffened. Their cover was blown. Weiss instinctively stepped forward. "Rinko—"
The glare he shot her made her stop in her tracks. "That name," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "You keep saying it like you know me. But I don't know you." His voice was cold, detached. "And I don't appreciate being followed."
Ruby hesitated, gripping Crescent Rose tightly. "We're not trying to cause trouble, we just—"
"Then leave." His tone had an edge now. The kind that promised consequences if they didn't listen.
But Yang stepped forward. "We're here to help you!" she snapped, stepping closer. "You don't understand what's happening right now!"
Kakashi exhaled sharply. "I understand just fine. I've never seen you people in the village—yet, you're stalking me and you're talking like you know me."
His hand drifted toward his sword.
"And that," he said, voice lowering into something dangerous, "makes you a threat."
A tense silence fell between them.
Ozpin watched Kakashi carefully. "This world... these memories... they're distorted by the Nightmare Grimm. He's reacting to us as an intruder would," he murmured under his breath to the team.
Weiss clenched her fists. "Then we need to wake him up."
Kakashi's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Last chance," he warned. "Turn around and walk away."
No one moved.
The next second, he attacked. Kakashi disappeared.
Flicker.
Blake barely had time to react before steel came slicing toward her. She dodged just in time, rolling backward as Kakashi's sword struck the ground where she had been standing. Sparks flew from the impact.
Blake stopped just beside the rest of her team. Kakashi slowly stood up as his grip on his sword tightened.
They're going to fight Rinko and there's no way around it.
[End]