Ibuki: Disclaimer! The author does not own any of the material appearing in the story. The OC's belong to their respective owners!
BGM: Hades' Infernal Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"Time! Space! Reality! It's more than just a boring ol' linear path! It's a prism of boundless entertainment! A single choice can branch out into infinite realities and infinite amusement from yours truly! Alternate universes created from the ones that we know and love! I am Lord Hades, your handsome guide to these wonderful and boundless fun of opportunities! Follow me, if you dare… and bask in the neverending torturous question of:"
SUPER RWBY: WHAT IF?
"What If!"
End BGM
"Hope you enjoyed your birthday gift, metal head! That was definitely a fun one! Of course, if I was the killer, I wouldn't have given Chiaki a second chance… hahaha! What? Don't give me that look, you know I wouldn't!"
Hades chuckled as he looked through the universes again. "Anywho, don't know about you but I'd hate to be that Damian fella right now in that universe considering he has to compete with Ibuki. Hope he has insurance for his eardrums… and if he doesn't? Let that poor sucker suffer some more!"
He stopped at one universe. "Oh hello… what do we have here? …Oooooh!" He smirked. "Oooh, this is a good one!"
He looked up at the screen. "Remember that one universe where Ruby happily embraced the darkness that Ganondorf had given her? Well, this one is kinda like that… but different at the same time! This begs the question… who would find her this time? And how screwed would Dark Ruby be? Let's find out in…!"
What If… Death From Castlevania Trained Ruby?
"This ought to be a fun one!"
Out on DK Isle, Death approached the island where he found a few Kremlings lying around on the smoldering remains. "Hmm… you poor fools were caught in the crossfire. I suppose you didn't evacuate in time." He said as he put his hand on the Kremlings, pulling out their souls. "Enjoy your eternal rests. You shall suffer no more." He said, absorbing their souls.
He turned around to open up a portal. "Now then, I wonder if I could collect K. Rool's dignity as well. I heard that died as well." He chuckled as he disappeared into the portal.
Back at the Smash Mansion…
"Are you serious?! What gives him the right to stay here in the Smash Mansion after what he just did!" Yang said.
"Ah, but Yang… you are not seeing the bigger picture with K. Rool. Perhaps if you were to look inside of yourself, you may realize who is the bigger monster."
"But he was the one who destroyed DK Isle!"
"Perhaps, but what led him to do that? Perhaps in time, you'll figure that out." Master Hand floated away with a chuckle.
"The hell do you mean…?" Yang wondered.
Yang shook her head. "Whatever…" She mumbled as she turned around to see Ruby in a fetal position on one of the couches. She walked over to Ruby. "Hey… how you holding up?"
"...I almost lost you, what does it look like…"
Yang grimaced. "Well, hey, at least I'm still here."
"Yes… but you almost weren't."
Yang sighed, rubbing the back of her head as she gave her a hug before pulling away. "I'll give you some space." She said as she walked off, her mind racing as she did.
Geez, I've never seen Ruby so down in the dumps… I gotta find a way to cheer her up. But what would work, exactly? I mean, cookies would probably work… except I'm not the best at baking.
While Yang went off to figure out what to do, Death wandered nearby. "Let's see… K. Rool's dignity, where can I find him…" He wondered to himself as he shifted his eyes to where Ruby was at. "Hmm? Excuse me, young human. You wouldn't happen to know where K. Rool might be, would you?"
"Like I should care where he is…"
"I see. Nice talking to you." Death floated away but stopped himself. He looked back at Ruby and rubbed his bony chin in thought. He backed up to her. "Say… I don't normally do this with humans, but… what seems to be troubling you?"
"It's… not important. I almost lost my sister and-" Ruby looked up. "Gah!" She yelped. "You're… you're…!"
"Death, a pleasure to meet you."
"No, not that. You're completely naked!"
"Pffft! Oh, don't be like that. I'm wearing a robe, so I'm perfectly modest!"
Ruby sweatdropped. "I don't think skeletons are modest…"
"Why? You have a few skeletons in your closet? …One of them might be my roommate from college! Hahahaha!"
…What? Ruby thought.
"But seriously though, what's troubling you? You said you almost lost your sister. You can tell me."
"Well… okay… K. Rool gave everyone hell on the island. He put Yang in this machine that took away her aura… and when we destroyed the robot, it turned out to be Yang inside of it. I was so devastated that I almost killed her. And then when we got the gang back together, K. Rool throws us into a cell while he fires his death laser at DK Island that he had shot Yang into! I thought I had lost my sister, but she survived…"
"Ah, so this is basically K. Rool putting you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Huh, didn't think he was that kind of croc…"
"That and… I've been having trouble with a doppleganger…"
"A doppleganger, you say? Tell me all about it. Is this like Pittoo or is this like Shadow?"
"I'm not a doppleganger!" Shadow said nearby.
"No… she's… forgive my language, but she's a total bitch! She keeps tormenting me, thinks she's superior to me, she haunts me all the time… and… and… ugh, I don't know if I can actually kill her."
"Aaaah, one of those!" Death mused. "You don't know if you have what it takes to beat her, yes?"
"Yeah, she keeps haunting me…"
An idea came to Death. "Well! What if I told you that I can help you out with this!"
"...You can?"
"Yes! Follow me, I think I know just the thing to help you out." He offered his hand to her.
"...You're not one of those "If I touch you, I instantly shrivel up and die" grim reapers, are you?"
"You catch on quick!" Death pulled his hand away. "Now then, let us be off." He opened up a portal and walked in as Ruby followed behind him.
"Ruby? Rubes!" Yang walked over to her. "I found someone who you could-... uh… what…?" Yang looked around. "Ruby? Ruby!"
"You just missed her." Samus said, eating some strawberry shortcake.
"Where'd she go? Did she go on a date with Pit?"
"No, but apparently Death took her to Castlevania."
"Oh, cool… WAIT, WHAT TOOK HER TO WHERE?!" She yelled in horror as she immediately pulled out her scroll.
"Meet me at Castlevania! STAT!"
"What's wrong?" - Weiss
"Ruby's at Castlevania! Death took her!"
"WHAT?!"
"On our way!" - Blake
Yang turned to Byleth. "Sorry about this, Byleth. Maybe some other day!" She took off running.
"It's… okay?" Byleth tilted her head. "Okay, weird…"
"You get used to it. Cake?" Samus asked.
"Sure."
At Castlevania…
"...Death?" Dracula looked at Ruby. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I thought I could help the little miss take care of an issue with a doppleganger of hers."
"What, you want me to turn her into a vampire?" He snarked.
"The last thing we need is for some nutjob to come barreling through and demand that you make them a vampire for their own… weird as hell reasons."
"Indeed. I doubt that will ever happen though."
"RUUUUUUUBY!" Yang's voice called out.
"...Oh, spoke too soon." Death said, causing Dracula to facepalm with a groan.
Yang came running in with Weiss and Blake behind her. "Ruby! Oh, I'm so glad you're safe! …Death, get the hell AWAY from her!"
"What? I didn't do anything with her yet!" Death said. "...Also, good luck actually trying to hurt me. Only the Belmonts' whips can hurt me, thank you very much. …Though you can hurt Drac though. He's not immune to anyone beating the hell out of him."
"...You have one match with a gorilla with a necktie and you never hear the end of it." Dracula grumbled.
"Besides, Ruby here took my offer on helping her defeat her doppleganger."
"What?!" Weiss said in surprise. "Ruby, why would you…?"
"Because I'm desperate! I keep getting nightmares from her, and it's breathing down my neck, so it's like… what am I supposed to do? Take therapy and be like "Stand up to your doppleganger"? Believe me, I'VE TRIED THAT. But it didn't work! I doubt whatever therapy-"
"That was the idea… I was going to do that." Yang said. "Just lookin' out for ya."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Lookin' out for me, huh? And how'd that work out for you?" She glared, causing Yang to stiffen. "Yang, I needed you… but you kept tormenting K. Rool and teasing him to the point where he fought back against you. The whole DK Isle thing was your fault!"
"...You know, I can't argue with that." Blake said. "You have been a bit cruel with K. Rool these days."
"I agree. Reluctantly…" Weiss mumbled.
Yang sighed. "Look, Ruby… I'm sorry, I should've been there when she kept tormenting you but… really? Siding with Death and a guy that goes "Bleh, bleh, bleh" all the time?"
Dracula looked at Yang in annoyance. "I do not say "bleh, bleh, bleh"..."
"Besides, I'm not gonna kill her. I'm just going to turn her into a reaper!"
"WHAT?!" Yang yelled. "You're going to turn her into… Death Junior?!"
"Death Juni-... how are you not dead yet with all these insults you tend to throw out?"
"It's a miracle." Blake snarked while rolled her eyes.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with Death here." Weiss shook her head.
BGM: The Other Promise (Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix)
Yang clenched her fists and grabbed Ruby by the shoulder. "Ruby, I'm not going to let you go through with this! As your older sister, I-"
"As my "older sister", you don't care for your youngest sister at all when it comes to your own shenanigans." Ruby pushed her away. "You keep pushing me away."
"I keep pushing you away?! How about the other way around when you push me away when I ask you what's wrong? You don't come to me when you had your issues!"
"Well, that's because I expected you to come and hug me without me saying anything!" Ruby shot back. "That's what siblings do, right? Hug them without warning, shower them with loves… that's what I thought older siblings do to their youngest! …Turns out I was wrong. Apparently older siblings don't care and just… go bully crocodiles."
She turned her back to Yang. "I looked up to you sis… but apparently, I chose the wrong idol to look up to."
Yang's eyes widened, tearing up at what she said. "Ruby… you don't mean-"
"Oh, this is so very touching." Death pushed Yang away with his scythe. "But let's get on with the ritual, shall we?" He snapped his fingers as a barrier surrounded him, Ruby and Dracula.
"RUBY!" Yang ran toward the barrier, pounding on it as Death made a transmutation circle. "RUBY WAIT! RUUUUBY!"
"No no no no no!" Weiss tried to get in there with Blake, but they bounced off. "RUBY NO!"
"This is bad…" Blake grimaced.
"Just as how I have been known as the Grim Reaper, you too shall be reborn as a reaper. No longer will you be human. No longer will you have your humanity with you. No longer will you be mortal! You shall be reborn as… the Rose Reaper."
Dracula pulled out a glass of wine and started to take a sip, but then Death took the glass of wine from him. "Wha- hey!"
"I needed a concoction. This is perfect." Death said as he sprinkled some magic inside the glass, put his hand over it and started to mix it up. He then handed it to Ruby.
Ruby stared at the wine glass that was given to her. She looked over at Yang and gave her a dirty look before she took a sip of it. "Hack! Plepth!"
"Careful, it's got a bit of a bite to it!"
"Oh… hell with it." Ruby downed it, ignoring the spiciness of it. Once she finished, she coughed violently, dropping the glass and shattering it as she fell on her knees. The transmutation circle lit up, electricity flowing around her as Ruby glowed in darkness.
Once the magic stopped, Ruby found herself levitating off the ground. Her red cloak was shredded and a duller red, her hair had silver hair with gray highlights at the tips of her bangs. Her skin tone was gray. There were black markings over her eyes. Her lips were black in color. She opened her eyes as her silver eyes were replaced by black irises with blue flames as pupils, the sclera was a dull gray in color.
Crescent Rose was now colored black with red trimming around it.
End BGM
"The ritual is now complete. Say hello to the Rose Reaper. Reaper Rose!" Death snapped his fingers as the barrier disappeared. "Yes, I know that's a bit redundant of a name, but she's no longer Ruby after all."
Yang instinctively ran toward her sister. "Ruby! Ruby, speak to me! Are you okay?!"
"That's no longer my name… it's Reaper Rose." She said and readied her scythe. "And you… ought to perish!" She swung her scythe down as Yang instinctively blocked.
Chink!
Yang opened her eyes to see that Reaper Rose had stabbed her scythe on the ground, mere feet from her. "Huh?"
She snickered. "You should see the look on your face. I wasn't really going to do that!" She laughed as Yang sighed in relief, before smacking her upside the head. "D'oh! …Okay, I deserved that."
"Why would you do this, Rubes?"
"Honestly… as I said, I was desperate." She said as she closed her eyes. "No longer am I human, I'm just… a force of nature at this point. Life, death… the works. I'm just like the bag of bones over there."
"Hey! I resemble that remark!"
"Ruby-"
"I'm not Ruby anymore… I'm Reaper Rose."
"Well, you're still Ruby to us." Weiss said. "The same dolt who decided to be a reaper…"
"So… now what?" Blake asked.
"I guess I'll… figure out what to do as a reaper." Reaper Rose admitted. "I guess this means you'll have to find someone with an R in the name to complete Team RWBY again. I'm gonna be busy with life and death, I don't think I'll have time to be a huntress."
Yang sighed. "Rubes…" She looked her in the eyes. "I'm… sorry for being such a terrible sister. This didn't have to go this way."
"Don't worry about it…" Reaper Rose hugged her. "Even if you were a terrible sister… I still love you." She said as Yang hugged her back. "And besides… this could be a lot worse. Like, imagine if I decided to be under someone else's tutelage like… Ganondorf."
Yang laughed. "Yeah, that'd be bad…"
"Wait, hold on a moment!" Weiss said. "You're Death, right? Wouldn't that make you… like… dangerous to touch?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention. That doesn't work here." Death said.
"What?! You tricked me into not touching you when you offered to take me under your wing?"
"You were suspicious. I was happy to play along!"
Reaper Rose sweatdropped. "Great…" She turned to her team. "I guess… this is it."
Weiss sighed. "Unfortunately."
"...See you around, sis?" Yang asked hopefully.
"Maybe…" Reaper Rose nodded as the trio walked away as she let out a sad sigh. "Perhaps this is for the best."
"Now now, I'm sure you'll see your team again someday." Death said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Now then, let me teach you a few things."
Later, at Beacon…
"Ruby has become a reaper?" Ozpin asked in surprise.
"Yes. She's… become one with life and death, apparently." Blake said. "She's hanging around Castlevania now, her new home."
"That's interesting…" Ozpin mused. "Without Ruby, you are without a team leader."
"Professor, if it's not too much trouble, perhaps I could be team leader instead." Weiss offered.
"You would still have three members though." Ozpin pointed out. "However, I just thought of someone who could replace Ruby." He put his finger on a button. "Robin, could you call your sister here for a moment?"
"Reflet?" Yang asked.
"Yes. You will still be Team RWBY, but under a new leader." Ozpin smiled. "I figured this could help out."
A few days later…
Reaper Rose lifted a soul out of a body. "Your life was full of hope and opportunity… wasted away by a Grimm. May your soul find rest in the afterlife." She clenched her fist, absorbing the soul as she let out a soft sigh, picking up the body as she snapped her fingers as the ground underneath her opened up as she tossed the body inside, then the ground closed up.
"You've been busy as of late." A voice said as Reaper Rose turned around to see Xerneas approaching.
"Xerneas. What brings you here?"
"I suppose I am chopped liver." Another voice said as Reaper Rose looked up to see Yveltal gently descending.
BGM: Solo Menu - Viridi (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"The embodiments of life and death. What brings you here in my presence?" Reaper Rose asked.
"We had sensed that you were busy taking the souls from those who have perished." Xerneas said.
"Am I in trouble? Because I'm just doing my job as a reaper."
Xerneas chuckled. "Relax. We are just here to chat."
"Can we walk and chat? I'm busy." Reaper Rose turned around. "Perks of being a reaper, you don't have to sleep… because even people die at the stroke of midnight. Death never sleeps after all."
"Indeed…" Yveltal nodded.
Reaper Rose strapped Crescent Rose to her back as they walked along. "I suppose you being the embodiment of life would have some sort of idea on what to do."
"Indeed." Xerneas nodded. "While it is true that you take souls from people's bodies, not all of them deserve it. You see, sometimes they need a second chance in life… even when things may look bleak for them."
They came across a sick bunny rabbit. "Take this ill rabbit for instance. Would you take its life?"
"In a heartbeat. It's near death. Why not put it out of its misery? It's humane."
"Perhaps… but maybe taking a soul isn't always the answer. Look closely." Xerneas said as Reaper Rose took a look, seeing that, while despite the rabbit was sick, it was still kicking and fighting.
"He's a fighter…"
"Indeed. While it is commendable you take lives that you deem is necessary to not make them suffer… there is always an alternative." Xerneas gently knelt down, his antlers glowing as the rabbit perked up. It turned around, its nose twitching as it hopped away. "Giving it a second chance may prove to be beneficial."
"I see… I think Death taught me that but I was more focused on taking souls."
Xerneas nodded. "Taking souls does sound enticing."
"Believe me, I've had my fair share of that!" Yveltal said. "I am the embodiment of death after all."
"The choice is up to you, Ruby." Xerneas said. "Either give them peace or give them a second chance… however-"
"Second chances can be a double edged sword. They could be suffering from something and by extending their life, it will make things worse for them."
Xerneas chuckled. "You catch on quick."
"Life and death is a delicate balance." Yveltal said.
"Yeah… I'm well aware of that." She chuckled before she frowned. "Hey… silly question. What are your thoughts on those who were born by unnatural means?"
End BGM
Meanwhile, in Cuphead Hell…
"That's odd…" Devil mused. "Is this thing working?" He tapped the machines. "We are collecting a lot of souls in Remnant, yes?"
"Da, boss… apparently there's a new death in town. Apparently Ruby Rose is now the embodiment of life and death. She's taking our souls." Henchman said.
"Bah! Like I should be worried about little ol' Ruby Rose. So we're fewer in number, big deal! Let her take a few. It's no skin off my back."
"Um, EXCUUUUUUUUUSE me!"
The Devil groaned. "Stickler! How not nice to see you."
"You aren't getting any new souls today because of Ruby Rose doing your job. If she keeps at it, she might even replace you!"
"Her? Replace me- HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, I didn't realize you were such a jokester!"
"Excuuuuuuse me! I never joke around."
"Yes, yes, I know… why don't you go relax in the spa over there?" He asked, pointing to an acid pool.
"I do not need my muscles relaxed."
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure YOUR BOOK DOES!" He grabbed the book and threw it into the acid pit, where it disintegrated. "Ooops, looks like you need to recount all those souls!"
"Awwww… that will take months to recreate…"
"Ooooh noooo! It will take months to recreate?" Devil kicked Stickler out of the throne room.
"Waaaah!"
CRASH!
"Tell it to someone who gives a crap!" Devil shook his head. "Ruby Rose taking my position. Hmph! I'm not worried about her. I'm the king of taking souls, baby! They don't call me Old Scratch for nothin'!"
Meanwhile…
Dark Pit wandered around Viridi's domain, his hands in his pockets. A dark portal opened up behind him as Dark Pit stopped, pulling out his Silver Bow and turning around, shooting an arrow.
Reaper Rose caught the arrow between her fingers. "Relax."
"Ruby? …You look more gothic than usual."
"I'm a reaper."
"...Kay? What are you doing here?"
"I've come to collect your soul. You were born unnaturally, and thus you break the delicate balance between life and death."
"Wow, you're really into that cosplay, aren't you?"
"...Cosplay? No, I'm legitimately a reaper."
Dark Pit rolled his eyes as he pulled out a washcloth. "Here, let me wash this makeup off of you." He said as he started rubbing it off of her face.
"Ack! Hey! What are you…?"
"...What kind of makeup is this?" Dark Pit wondered as he started rubbing harder.
"Ow! Ow! OW! OW!" She pushed him away. "What the heck, dude?!"
"That is some powerful make-" Reaper Rose conjured up a will-o-wisp in her hand. "-up… ooooh. So you're telling the truth."
"Geez, I wanted to make this as quick and painless as possible…" Reaper Rose mumbled. "Now I got a washcloth burn, thanks a lot."
Dark Pit sweatdropped. "You'll live. Anyway, what were you saying about my soul?"
"You were born unnaturally. The longer you live, the natural balance between life and death will go out of whack. I need to fix this."
"I'm living my life to the fullest." Dark Pit said. "If you think you can just take my soul away from me…"
BGM: Dark Pit's Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"You got another thing coming, Ruby!"
Reaper Rose sighed. "Knew you'd go kicking and screaming." She said as she readied her scythe. "Forgive me, Pittoo… but your unnatural life has got to go."
"I'm not going to die to YOU!" He fired arrows at her as she spun her scythe to form a rose barrier to block the arrows as she threw will o wisps over at him. Dark Pit rolled out of the way as he continued to fire arrows.
Reaper Rose calmly sidestepped out of the way and swung her scythe, but Dark Pit jumped back as he summoned the Viridi Palm and started firing, but Reaper Rose disappeared in a rose vortex, reappearing behind Dark Pit and swinging her scythe, but Dark Pit ducked and sweep kicked her to knock her down as Dark Pit jumped back and pulled out his Dark Pit Staff, firing into her shoulder.
"Nnnngh!" She grunted.
"I'm not going to die by your hand! I'm choosing my own life and there's nothing you can do about it!" Dark Pit declared.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Just hold still."
"For my own good or for your drunken power?" Dark Pit fired the staff again, but she pulled up rose thorns to block them, then she had them lunge at Dark Pit and wrapped around his arms.
End BGM
"You were born from the Mirror of Truth. A mere copy of my beloved Pit. You were only meant to be his evil doppleganger and nothing more. While you are your own person, your life still brings chaos to the delicate balance of life and death."
"What do you mean by unnatural means?" Xerneas asked.
"I mean like… born from the Mirror of Truth."
"Hmm… lives born unnaturally from such an object would be upsetting for the delicate balance, However, that decision is entirely up to you."
"I know you are a good person, Pittoo… but you shouldn't exist."
"Tch, I thought you were a good person, Ruby… but apparently, you're not!"
"I don't like this as much as you do…" Reaper Rose pulled back her scythe. "But this is for the good for the balance."
"Balance? Tch… you've definitely changed. Hope this was worth dealing with your damn trauma!" He said.
Reaper Rose closed her eyes, a single tear escaping as it rolled down her cheek. "Me too." She swung her scythe, pulling his soul out of his body.
"Your soul is unnatural to the touch… it feels so weird and… ugh, it's legitimately making me sick just holding it." She dropped the soul to the ground. "Your soul no longer exists. When I cut through this, no one will remember you." She cut through the soul, severing it, which in turn caused Dark Pit's body to disappear.
She closed her eyes. "No one will remember you but the one who cut through the soul. Forgive me, Pittoo…" She said as she disappeared in a dark portal.
Viridi walked by. "I could've sworn I heard a fight breaking out here. Weird… must be my imagination."
Meanwhile, at the Smash Mansion…
"...That's peculiar." Palutena said as she looked at the Smash roster. "Why does Pit have a mirror clone in the roster?"
"Huh?" Master Hand took a look. "Odd. I don't recall that being there." He snapped his fingers. "Welp, now it's an empty spot. I'll have to figure out who to-"
"How about Magnus as a fighter?" Palutena suggested.
"...That will work! Let me just get him real quick."
Back with Reaper Rose…
Reaper Rose levitated above a dying man, who had his legs torn off by a Beowolf. "Please… let me live… I beg you… I have a wife and kids…!"
Reaper Rose sighed. "Honestly, I don't see you getting out of this alive. It's not worth living being just a torso… I'm sorry." She said as the man succumbed to his injuries. She gently reaped his soul. "May you rest in peace in the afterlife." She said, absorbing the soul as she opened up the ground to let it swallow the corpse.
"You've been pretty busy." A voice said as Reaper Rose turned to see Pit.
"Oh! Pit… hi. Sorry if I look like this but-"
"No no, it's okay. This looks pretty good on ya." Pit chuckled. "I've just been a bit worried about ya so I decided to come see you."
"I'm sure Palutena let you know?"
"Actually, Yang did. That's not gonna stop me from being your boyfriend." He winked.
"Oh honey… if only I had time to go on dates. People are dying all the time. I gotta reap their souls so they can have a safe passage to the afterlife, ya know? Sorry."
"Oh, it's no big deal. Reaping souls can be our dates now while we have ice cream too!"
Reaper Rose looked at Pit. "Really? That's a bit morbid."
"I'm not the one who chose to be a reaper." Pit winked.
Reaper Rose snickered. "Fair enough. I suppose that can be our dates from now on." She said as she and Pit walked around. "Of course, in the future, that's going to be awkward when we're married and… I'm never around my kids."
"Oh, we'll make it work."
"Yeah, I guess so." She chuckled.
"So… Yang told me you're no longer Ruby, you're… Reaper Rose?"
"Yeah."
"You still answer to Ruby though, right?"
"I do, but… that was the old me. I'm a force of nature now… I'm no longer human. I'm not even mortal anymore. I'm just another Grim Reaper taking souls to the afterlife."
Pit took her hand. "That doesn't matter to me. You're still Ruby to me." He gently brought her down and wrapped her into a hug. "I could care less that you're another grim reaper. You're my girl."
"Oh… Pit…" She smiled as Pit leaned in and kissed her. Reaper Rose wrapped her arms around her and returned the kiss, then they separated.
"Just because you're collecting souls doesn't mean you don't have time for us." He smiled. "I'll be with ya to keep you company."
Reaper Rose chuckled. "I'd like that." She said as they walked together.
"Soooo… any souls you've reaped lately?"
"Well… have you… heard of someone named Dark Pit?"
"Huh? Noooo… I don't think so. Why?"
Just as I thought. No one but me remembers him. "Oh… nothing. Just a silly dream I had where you had this clone that looked like you, but more gothic."
"Huh! Hope he liked floor ice cream."
"He didn't. He was a sourpuss."
"Awww… so much for a twin brother…"
Reaper Rose laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you'll meet him in some other life."
"Yeah, probably…"
A few days later…
Reaper Rose stared at a wilting Fire Flower. "Hmm…" She knelt down. "You look like you have some life left in you…" She said, her hands radiating a rainbow-like aura as the Fire Flower sprouted up once more in full bloom.
She smiled. "Live, little flower. You still have a job to do with your flames of life." She patted it on the head and walked off.
"Hmm… I wonder how Yang's doing. Wouldn't hurt to check on her." She said, opening up a portal. "Honestly, wouldn't hurt to check on RWBY." She added and walked inside.
With RWBY…
BGM: Final Cackletta Battle (Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga)
"What! Are you guys still alive?" A voice asked as everyone turned to see Cackletta's Soul approaching them. "You are a persistent bunch! But no matter, I will win this!"
"That's adorable…" Reflet chuckled as she got up. "You think you've won in the end, but you're delaying the inevitable!" She said as her team, JNPR, JINX, ATMC, the Mario Bros, Daisy, Neo, Kamek, General Guy, the Erdreans, Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, Hilda, and the Galar Quad rose up.
"EYAH HA HA HA HA! THIS IS WHERE YOU DIIIIIE!" She yelled, unleashing a powerful laser at the group when suddenly a dark portal opened up as Reaper Ruby blocked with her scythe. "What?!"
End BGM
BGM: Cackletta's Soul - Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GaMetal)
"Just what do you think you're doing to my friends?"
Yang gasped. "Ruby?!"
Reaper Rose turned her head with a smile, winking at her and then turned toward Cackletta. "Your body has been destroyed, yet your soul lingers? I have to say, that's a new one."
"Who are you!" Cackletta demanded.
"Oh me? I'm just Remnant's grim reaper known as the Rose Reaper. My name is Reaper Rose… and this will be the last name you will ever hear."
"Rose Reaper? Reaper Rose? That's redundant!" Cackletta spat.
"It is unfortunate… but it is what it is."
"Sooooo uh… what the heck do we do?" Daisy asked.
"I say we leave this to Rubes." Yang said.
"Y-yeah! I'd say that's fair!" Luigi whimpered, causing Mario to raise an eyebrow.
Reflet chuckled. "Alright Ruby, show us what your reaper form can do!"
Cackletta fired lasers at her but Reaper Rose swiftly twirled her scythe to deflect the lasers as she flew over and swung her scythe, slashing through her. "Rrrgh!" Cackletta growled as she backhanded Reaper Rose away, firing a laser at her for good measure.
"Mmmph!" Reaper Rose shook it off as she swung her arm as Will O Wisps formed around her and shot at Cackletta. She backhanded them, but as they touched her, they paralyzed her arm as Reaper Rose cut through her arm to sever it.
"What…?!" She growled as she tried to bite down at Reaper Rose but she snapped her fingers as a rose petal tornado swirled around Cackletta. "Mmmph! What in…?" She wondered as the rose petals exploded into lightning, electrocuting her as Reaper Rose cut through Cackletta. "AAAARGH!"
"Rrrrrrgh… I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU YET!" Cackletta roared, her eyes immediately turning green.
"She's gone malicious!" Luminary exclaimed.
"And I'm getting bored." Reaper Rose faked a yawn as Cackletta Kacrackle Punched her but she casually blocked and then threw more paralyzing Will O Wisps throughout her body, and then her scythe glowed a dark aura.
"Your soul belongs to me!" She declared as reaper slashed Cackletta as her soul was taken and formed into a wisp as Reaper Rose absorbed it.
End BGM
"What was so malicious about it?" Reaper Rose wondered as the whole place rumbled… before they were all spat out of Bowser's body. "...Wait… we were inside Bowser? WHY WERE YOU GUYS INSIDE OF BOWSER?!" She yelled in disgust.
"It's a long story…" Reflet said.
"Trust me, I didn't like it either!" Weiss said.
Reaper Rose groaned. "Welp… time to bathe in Castlevania's lake…"
"Good news everyone!" Peasley approached them. "I've set the charges to this castle. It will blow up momentarily!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone but Reaper Rose yelled.
"But we're still in it!" Mario pointed out.
"Hmm… yes, that is a problem. On the plus side, I rescued Peach while I was at it!"
Reaper Rose sweatdropped. "I'll just… go ahead and make a portal for you guys." She said, opening one up as everyone ran inside.
Down in the Beanbean Kingdom, they witnessed Bowser's Castle exploding. "...I have so many questions right now." Reaper Rose said.
"I've got one. How were you able to find us inside of Bowser's body?" Yang asked.
"Simple. I still have a connection to all of you. I've made it possible to where I can make a portal to your location. That way, I can come visit you."
Yang smiled. "You do care about us still."
"Duh." Reaper Rose smiled, hugging her.
"Soooooo!" Nora got between the duo. "Ruby, I've heard you've been turned into a reaper. But I didn't think you'd be a straight up goth!" She said as she crawled around her body. "Seriously, what the heck am I looking at here? Ripped up cloak? Markings on your face? You've gone more goth than Marnie over here!"
"Hey! For the last time, I'm a punk!" Marnie said.
"...I could've sworn you were a goth." Reaper Rose said, causing Marnie to sigh in defeat as Gloria patted her on the back. "Welp… I'll leave you to your vacation. Assuming this is a vacation." She turned around… but stopped herself. "Hang on, I'm sensing some souls that have to be reaped." She levitated away.
"Your… sister is an odd one." Hilda said.
"Yeah, but at least we know she'll be there for us." Yang smiled.
Later… with the Mario Bros…
"You feeling okay, bro?" Mario asked.
"NO, I'M NOT!" He yelled. "Ruby ghosts us for a long time and she comes back as the grim reaper?! I've heard stories about Remnant getting a grim reaper but I didn't think it'd be Ruby!"
"Okay, breathe!" Mario put his hands on his shoulders. "Deep-a breath. You're clearly having a panic attack."
"I have every right to be, bro! Ever since my visit to Castlevania, I've been petrified of grim reapers! What if Ruby turns on us?!"
"I seriously doubt she would-"
"She's gonna turn on us! She's gonna go on a killing spree and reap every soul in the Mushroom Kingdom! She's gonna come for me! She's gonna watch me in my sleep and take me out when I'm in a blissful dream! She's gonna take me out while I'm showering! Ooooh, she's gonna take me if I do something embarrassing, will she!"
"LUIGI!" Mario slapped him. "Get a hold-a of yourself, man!"
"Mmmph! …You're right, I'm just-a bein' paranoid… not like she'll actually do it, right?"
"I have-a faith that she won't do that." Mario smiled.
"Y-yeah… I have-a faith she won't do that too."
Reaper Rose appeared behind Luigi. "Faith that I won't do what?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH! Oooooh…"
THUD!
Luigi had fainted on the spot.
Mario sweatdropped. "That wasn't nice…"
"It's fun to mess with him. Later~!" Reaper Rose disappeared.
Mario shook his head. "Mama mia…
Later...
Reaper Rose approached a grave. "Hey mom." She said as she sat down. "It's been a while, huh? I've just been reaping souls left and right, just doing my job as a reaper. I'm gonna be honest, at first… it kind of bothered me that I had to take a fellow human's soul, but… I just got used to it. I've grown to appreciate the balance between life and death, with some help from Xerneas." She giggled.
She let out a sigh. "I just wish I could see you one last time, even if it meant taking your soul to the afterlife…"
"Ruby…?"
Reaper Rose turned her head, seeing Tai behind her. "Dad?"
"W-well…! This is a surprise. Yang told me you were Remnant's Grim Reaper, but I thought she was pulling a fast one on me."
"No, she wasn't. I'm actually the grim reaper of our world." She said. "My title is the Rose Reaper… and, I go by Reaper Rose now."
Tai raised an eyebrow. "That's redundant."
"Wouldn't be the first time I've heard it." She chuckled.
"Sooooo uh… you're not here to collect my soul, right?"
"Dad, if it was your time to go, I would have done it by now."
"Fair." He chuckled as he sat down. "So… collecting souls, huh?"
"Yeah… thought I'd come by to say hi to mom. I didn't think I'd come to see you since, well… I'm the grim reaper. Death never sleeps, after all."
Tai smiled. "Well… thought I'd come to give your mother a visit. Didn't think I'd see you here." He said. "Although, I thought you wanted to become a Huntress, not a soul collector."
"I didn't either, but… I'm doing this for a reason. Dark Ruby continues to haunt me. That whole thing at DK Isle happened, Death saw me despairing so… he took me to Castlevania and I became the Rose Reaper. My old life is gone, dad… I'm no longer Ruby. Although, ironically, I still answer to it."
"Nothing wrong with it." He said. "...You know what your mother would say if she were here right now?"
"What?"
"That she's proud of you no matter what. Sure, you wanted to follow in her footsteps, but… life happens, ya know?"
"Yeah… you're right. She'd be proud of me regardless. After all, I actually love my job as being a reaper. And I know one day, I will have to take my friend's souls when they die, and that includes you too. Zwei… everyone I cared for."
"I won't hold it against you. You're the Grim reaper after all. The moment I see you in my dying moments, I'll die with a smile on my face knowing you're doing what you do best."
"Ah geez… make me emotional…" Reaper Rose sniffed, wiping her eyes as she leaned on her father's shoulder. "I guess that's the cost of being an immortal reaper. Everyone I love will die… but… it is what it is."
Tai nodded. "Yeah… but hey, let's not worry about that. I've actually made some brownies at home. You want some?"
"Actually, I was on my way to collect some souls at a village that was ravaged by Grimm." She said. "...But, maybe some brownies for the road won't hurt."
Tai smiled. "Come on, let's go."
Once at home, Reaper Rose happily ate brownies while chatting with Tai, the two of them laughing while the TV was on.
BGM: News (Pokemon Colosseum)
"Breaking news!"
"Hmm?" Reaper Rose turned her head to the TV.
"Alien creatures have invaded the Mushroom Kingdom and are currently making a mess of things in Toad Town. We are not sure what is going on, but it's a nightmare!"
"Alien invasion…?" Reaper Rose wondered as her eyes widened, seeing footage of Toad Town being ravaged by the Shroobs. "Nice chatting with you dad, but I got a harvest to get to!" She ran out the door.
"Ruby, wait! What about the village that was ravaged by Grimm?" Tai called out.
Reaper Rose screeched to a halt. "Shoot! Okay, I'll make a detour and then I'll go to Toad Town!" She said and took off.
Tai chuckled. "Even as the reaper, she's still a knucklehead. …Still, she probably needs to moisturize. That skin complexion's concerning."
Later, at Toad Town…
"Hmhmhmhm~" Reaper Rose hummed as she walked through Toad Town, picking up souls left and right. "All of you will have rest. Rest easy now." She said as a UFO spotted Reaper Rose and took aim, firing at her… only for her to kneel down to collect another soul as the shot bounced off of a manhole cover, hitting a window which reflected it back at the UFO and struck it, knocking it down to the ground and exploding near her.
"Hmm?" She walked over to the UFO as she saw a Shroob groaning, crawling out. "Huh… aliens are mushrooms? Interesting." She mused as she reaped his soul to put him out of his misery. "Rest. You will find eternal pea-... uuuugh!" She gagged. "This soul tastes like poison mushrooms! Ugh, and I thought Dark Pit's soul was bad!"
She shuddered. "Well… might as well continue my harvest." She said.
She levitated on a roof and looked around. "Let's see… anyone else I'm missing in this chaos?" She wondered, looking around as she spotted a fire off into the distance. "...A fire wall? What's that?" She asked as she flew toward it out of curiosity.
"AHAHAHAHA! So what's it going to be, Weiss? You either surrender or your mother is no more!" Dark Weiss taunted, when suddenly Esdeath froze her in place. "Esdeath! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Esdeath… as in general Esdeath?!" Weiss said in horror.
"That is enough out of you." She said, holding Whitley over her shoulder.
"But… I thought we teamed up! I thought you were going to help me fight them!"
"I was only interested in Team RWBY-"
Reaper Rose entered the scene, spotting Dark Weiss. "...Oh, shoot, it's not the doppleganger I was hoping for. Eh, an unnatural soul is still an unnatural soul."
"You… you betrayed me?!"
"I never teamed up with you in the first place. This is farewell, Dark Weiss."
"Actually, let me handle this one!"
Weiss and Esdeath looked over to see Reaper Rose approaching. "Remnant's Grim Reaper?" Esdeath wondered.
"Ruby!" Weiss smiled.
"Hey Weiss." Reaper Rose waved. "Don't mind me, just going to reap this unnatural soul."
"Unnatural?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Dark Weiss demanded as Reaper Rose swung her scythe to behead her, and then pulled out her soul.
"Ugh… still nauseating…" She mumbled as she cut through the soul to destroy it.
"Mmmph!" Esdeath and Weiss clutched their foreheads.
"There, no more Dark Weiss."
"...Who?" Both asked.
"Ah, don't worry about it."
"...Ruby, um… did you get the souls over at Atlas? Apparently a mental hospital burned down."
"Really? I was so into the harvest over at Toad Town… I'll take care of them." She disappeared into a portal.
"Dark Weiss… who was she talking about?" Esdeath wondered.
"I… don't know."
Once at Atlas…
"Oh, these poor souls." She said as she reaped every single one of them. "Rest now, may your souls have a happy afterlife." She said as she absorbed them, then went back to Toad Town.
Once at Toad Town…
"Alright, let's see what I can-"
BANG!
"Nnngh!" Reaper Rose grunted, holding on to her shoulder.
"I've been looking for you!"
Reaper Rose turned around. "You…" She glared as Dark Ruby approached her.
"I've heard a great deal about you reaping souls left and right. I've been trying to find you, but you're a slippery one!"
"Funny, I've been trying to look for you too." Reaper Rose said. "It's time your unnatural soul disappears forever."
"Hahahahaha! You think this get up is intimidating me? Not in the slightest, you bitch!"
"Quick question, Dark Ruby. I've reaped plenty of souls these past few months… and I have to ask you something. Have you heard of someone named Dark Pit and Dark Weiss?"
"No? Never heard of them!"
"Exactly. No one will ever remember you… and I'm going to enjoy it."
"Oh whatever! You think you can take me on, Ruby? I've got a lot of training under my belt!"
"Ruby… in a past life, that was my name. But now? It's Reaper Rose."
"Whatever! Your name could be Sapphire for all I care, and I'd still kill you!"
Thunder clapped in the sky, as it started to rain. Reaper Rose and Dark Ruby stared at each other. "So… shall we then? I'm no longer afraid of you." Reaper Rose said.
"Oh, we'll see about that after I'm through with you, bitch!"
BGM: Out Of Time (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)
Death Comes Knocking - Dark Ruby
Reaper Rose and Dark Ruby lunged at each other, clashing with their blades as both of them jumped back as Reaper Rose threw Will O Wisps at her, but Dark Ruby disappeared from sight as she reappeared on the roof behind her and proceeded to shoot her, but Reaper Rose disappeared from sight.
"Huh?!" Dark Ruby wondered as she shifted her eyes as she quickly ducked Reaper Rose slashing through her head as she turned around and slowed down time, shooting her at point blank to knock Reaper Rose back.
Dark Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at her and shot her, but Reaper Rose blocked with a rose shield and then countered, knocking her off of the roof. Reaper Rose jumped off after her and stomped her foot on the ground as vines came out and wrapped around Dark Ruby, but she cut through them.
Reaper Rose lunged and slashed her, but Dark Ruby blocked and countered. Reaper Rose snapped her fingers as Will O Wisps appeared behind Dark Ruby and hit her from behind, paralyzing her. "Nnnngh! What…?!" She wondered as Reaper Rose levitated toward her. "What did you do to me?!"
"You've tormented me for a long time. Now I will do the same to you!" She said, flicking her cloak at her and covered Dark Ruby in a dark fog.
"Mmmph! What…?" Dark Ruby wondered as she looked around, where demonic skeletal dogs came charging at Dark Ruby and bit down on her ankles. "Gah!" She yelped, shaking them off as zombies rose up from the ground and grabbed a hold of her as one bit down at her neck. "AAAAGH!" She cried as she shook them off.
She turned around as she swung at a ball of energy that came toward her. It exploded as fire hit her eyes as she hissed in pain, then several bats flew around her as one bit down on her shoulder. She brushed them off as more skeletons attacked her.
"How does it feel to be trapped in endless torment?"
"This is nothing but an illusion! This ain't real!"
"Oh, I can assure you…"
Reaper Rose appeared in front of her, her face now completely black and white resembling a skeletal face painting "This is very real."
The flames in her pupils grew bigger, as Dark Ruby's eyes widened, feeling a burning sensation all around her body. "GYAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as Reaper Rose's burning gaze was enough to paralyze her entire body in fear.
"You've caused endless torment to those who you made suffer. That includes me. Now it is my turn to turn the tides!" She said, as the blue fire consumed her eyes as Dark Ruby screamed in agony.
Dark Ruby fell on her knees, looking up in horror as Reaper Rose hovered above her. "What… what are you?!"
"Remnant's Grim Reaper, the Rose Reaper!" She grabbed her by the collar as she forced her to look her into her fiery eyes. Dark Ruby shrieked in horror as she felt the life being sucked out of her from her hand and pulled it out of her, leaving Dark Ruby an empty shell.
"May your soul despair in eternal damnation where it truly belongs!" She clutched her hand to crush it, her hand crackling with electricity to destroy it for good measure as she watched Dark Ruby's body fade away.
End BGM
The dark fog disappeared, the markings on her face went back to normal as the fire in her eyes shrunk back down to normal tiny size in her pupils. "Rot in hell." She said as she turned around, sheathing her scythe and walking away.
"There are still plenty of souls to reap… and honestly, I love my job. Dark Ruby may be gone permanently, but I'm still going to be the best damn grim reaper Remnant has." She said to herself, disappearing into the shadows.
Way later…
Reaper Rose reaped a soul, absorbing it into her. "Your life had a purpose, and that purpose had been fulfilled. Rest easy." She said, closing an old man's eyelids as she walked out… when suddenly, everything started to distort around her. "Huh? What the… what's going on?!" She wondered as everything went black after that.
BGM: Star Babies (Super Mario Galaxy)
"Do you hear the baby stars? These newborns will grow up to become galaxies someday. When stars die, they turn to stardust and scatter across the cosmos. Eventually, that stardust reforms to create a new star… and so the cycle of life continues. But the cycle never repeats itself in the same way. So… you'll see."
End BGM
"Gah!" Reaper Rose shot up from the ground. "What… what the heck?" She wondered as she looked around. "What happened? What in-... that was weird…" She said as she rubbed her head as she stood up. "I feel like everything died but now everyone's… alive again. Ugh, probably absorbed that old lady's soul who drank too much prune juice…"
Reaper Rose shook it off and walked back to do what she did best. "Odd… why do I feel like a lot of souls just came back to the land of the living? …Ugh, this is gonna be a nightmare to track them down… but I wonder, who was that woman?"
Later…
"Hmhmhmhm~" Reaper Rose hummed as she collected a soul. "There we go… that's another soul collected."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Whoa!" Reaper Rose yelped as she turned around to see a mushroom cloud in the distance. "That's from Bowser's Castle!" She said as she eagerly flew over to collect the souls with a grin on her face.
As she got to the crater, she looked around. "Geez… what happened here? It's like someone set off two King Bills or something." She said as she collected some souls, spotting some Koopatrols in the lava as she levitated toward them and collected them.
"Uuuungh…"
Reaper Rose turned her head to see Damian rubbing his head. "Huh, you're new… who are you?"
"I am Damian… and I just lost to those no good fools."
"Were you… in the epicenter of the blast?"
"Yes, you can thank someone by the name of Ibuki for that."
"I don't know an Ibuki." Reaper Rose shrugged. "But I'm guessing this Ibuki is a jerk?"
"All I'm doing is wanting to collect heads for the dark one, is it so much to ask! I already cut off that goth girl's eyes and arm, and now they're acting like I'm the bad guy!"
"Goth girl?"
"Marnie, I think her name was… but it could be Marine, my head's ringing."
"Ah, I see… wait… collect heads? You need a hobby, man."
"Collecting heads is my hobby. And now I need to regroup and get back at them! I might even go get Team RWBY's heads for compensation for the dark one!"
"Team RWBY's hea-" She glared at him. "What."
"Now if you don't mind, I need to rethink my strategy and-"
Reaper Rose lowered her scythe, making him trip. "Oops~" She smiled as Damian tripped and nearly fell over the lava.
"Phew…" He sighed in relief, but then Reaper Rose pushed him into the lava. "AAAAAAH!" He yelled, where Reaper Rose pulled out a fishing pole and hummed, reeling in Damian's soul as she took it.
"Rot in hell for trying to cut my friend's heads off." She said and walked off to collect more souls with a happier hum.
Later, around when Sora's friends came to visit…
"Hey Rubes!" Yang called out to her, noticing she was walking out of a home.
"Hmm? Hey Yang."
"Come over for a sec. We got some cool new friends!" She said as Reaper Rose curiously followed her as they would see Sora and the gang.
"Huh? Who's this?" Sora asked.
"This is my sister, Ruby. She's basically the grim reaper of this place, but she hasn't reaped any of her friend's souls yet!"
"I can assure you, I will get your souls when you die. It's part of my thing."
"Ah, but we're not dead yet!" Yang winked.
"Nice to meet ya, I'm Sora!" Sora grinned.
"Kairi!"
"Riku."
"Roxas."
"Xion!"
"Lea, got it memorized?"
"Isa."
"Demyx, nice to meet ya!"
"I'm Namine."
"Hello, I'm Aqua."
"Terra."
"Ventus!"
"Ienzo. A pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Mickey Mouse, and these are Donald and Goofy!"
"Hi."
"Heya!"
"...I'm sorry, what did the duck say? All I heard was a quack." Reaper Rose said, hearing an annoyed "Ooooh!" from Donald which caused everyone to snicker.
"Yeah, you get used to it." Yang said. "Oh, and this is Pyra and Mythra!"
"Hello."
"Yo!"
"Nice to meet ya." Reaper Rose waved. "So uh… a lot of humans, huh?"
"Well, some of us are Nobodies." Lea said.
"Nobody? What's that?"
"Basically, an empty shell of a person after they got killed by a Heartless. Their strong will turns them into an empty husk." Sora explained.
"...Sooo, they were born unnaturally." Reaper Rose mumbled. "Who are these Nobodies?"
"Roxas, Xion and Namine… why?"
Reaper Rose readied her scythe. "I'll make this quick."
"Whoa!" Death appeared behind Reaper Rose. "Excuse us for a second." He yanked Reaper Rose away.
"Wah!"
"...What was that about?" Namine wondered as Roxas and Xion shrugged.
"What are you doing?" Reaper Rose asked.
"I love that you are dedicated to your job. You're making me look bad… and I dig it! But you gotta ease up a little bit, ya know?"
"They were unnaturally born! The cycle of life and death hangs in the balance of those unnatural… things. I did the same with Dark Pit, Dark Weiss and Dark Ruby."
"I have no idea who you just said, but I can imagine they were nobody too important."
"But-"
"Ah!" Death raised a finger to silence her. "Just because things are unbalanced, doesn't mean humans and those around them can't adapt to accommodate for that imbalance."
"...What?"
"Humans thrive off of adaptation to what goes on around them, it's all a part of their life cycle. They live and die, passing their thoughts and wills onto their friends, whether it'd be for revenge from beyond the grave, or the simple wish to keep on living… Humans, and those technically not human, are able to bond with each other, and fill the void of their not being meant to exist… by living alongside those who do exist, as a counterbalance." Death said solemnly.
"Oh…"
"That and Nobodies actually regain hearts, so technically, they become human so it all works out in the end."
Reaper Rose sweatdropped. "Why didn't that Sora guy say anything about THAT?"
"Guess it slipped his mind."
"Right…" She chuckled. "Sorry about that, I got too caught up with the whole life and death thing…"
"Ah, don't sweat it. Even I slip up from time to time. Happens to the best of us reapers!" He said with a chuckle, patting her on the back. "...Now uh… just between you and me…" He leaned in closer. "I have a little request for you."
"Oh?"
At Castlevania…
"I demand that you make me a vampire!" Celeste declared.
"Nope, I am not going to budge."
"Well, in that case, I'm just gonna throw holy water at you and-" She was poked on the shoulder where she turned around to see Reaper Rose.
"Hi, are you this lady who's bothering Master Dracula? I heard from Death that you were making a mess of things and that you were unnaturally reborn."
"Unnaturally? I don't know what you're talking about, you weirdo! But I can assure you that I demand to be a vampire so I can have a vampire husband!"
Reaper Rose sweatdropped. "Uuuuuh…" This is the girl? Seriously?
"Now if you don't mind… I require his succulent fangs to sink into my neck!"
Reaper Rose smiled. "You know, I'm a vampire myself."
Celeste turned to her. "You are?"
"Yeah, allow me to suck my fangs into your neck."
Celeste grinned excitedly. "Good! I'm glad someone saw things my way."
"Close your eyes~!"
Celeste closed her eyes… and then Reaper Rose readied her scythe and reaper slashed through her, taking her soul out of her body.
"WHA?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM, YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A BITCH! I DON'T THINK YOU ARE EVEN A VAMPIRE AT ALL!"
"What do you want me to do with her? Absorb her soul?"
"Throw her body into a cell and put her soul into a blender. I could use a bit of sweetener for my wine."
"Will do~!" Reaper Rose hummed as she put Celeste's soul in a blender as Death hummed and mixed her up into liquid and poured it into Dracula's wine glass.
"Your sweetened wine."
"Thank you." Dracula took a sip. "Mmm! A bit prickly for my liking, but I've had worse wine."
Reaper Rose froze up in realization. "...Oh Oum, I've killed Dark Pit for nothing!" She said, facepalming. "Stupid stupid stupid stupid STUPID!" She groaned before sighing. "Welp… nothing I can do about it now…"
Way later, during the Phazon War…
"Goodness, this war definitely has benefits." Reaper Rose said, happily taking souls left and right. "Rest easy, this phazon is a bitch." She said, taking a victim's soul. "May your soul rest in eternal peace."
Reaper Rose went off to the next galaxy, but as she did, she spotted the Observatory. "I wonder what's going on over there." She said as she opened up a dark portal.
"Nnnngh!" Weiss grunted.
"Ahahahahaha! How does it feel to feel the effects of Chaos Weiss! I'm sure it's enough to-"
A dark portal opened up as Reaper Rose walked out. "Hey, what's going on here?"
Everyone turned to see Reaper Rose. "Oh great… this universe too? It's bad enough my paper version nearly grabbed my soul!"
Earlier, at the paperverse…
"Hmhmhmhm~" Paper Reaper Rose approached Dimentio. "So this is the one causing trouble all this time? Well, better late than-"
Dry Bowser landed on the ground, backhanding Paper Reaper Rose away. "Waaaah!"
"This is mine!" He said, using his dark magic to revive him.
"I'm back and better than ev-"
"Let's go! That chick was about to collect your soul."
"Oh really? Well, let's get out of here then so we can chat privately. Ciao~!" He snapped his fingers, teleporting him and Dry Bowser away.
"WAIT, NO!" Paper Reaper Rose yelled. "...What the hell was that?"
Back in this universe…
"What are you doing? Who are you?" Reaper Rose asked.
"This is Dimentio. Apparently there's a paperverse and he made his version of Weiss fall into despair and took the Chaos Heart. He was gonna do the same with our version!" Yang explained.
"...You did what with my bestie?" Reaper Rose glared.
"So she's Chaos Weiss, big deal! I'll do the same with this one…" Dimentio turned to Reaper Rose. "Or better yet… I can do the same with you. Yeah! I can make you a Chaos Reaper and-"
"Quick question. If I wandered into a room to collect a soul and there was you and a perpetual idiot. Whose soul would I take?"
"Oh, that's easy. The perpetual idiot because I have a long life ahead of me and-" Reaper Rose Reaper Slashed him to get his soul out of his body. "HUH?!"
"Correct, but I didn't specify who the idiot was." She said, absorbing his soul and punting Dimentio's lifeless body into the depths of space. "Rot in hell!"
"Okay! Ibuki's gonna be the first to admit… THAT WAS METAL AS HELL!" Ibuki grinned.
"You okay, Weiss?" Reaper Rose asked, offering her hand.
"Y-yeah… I should be." Weiss smiled, taking her hand as she was pulled up and the two embraced.
"I have to say…" A voice said as Reaper Rose turned her head to see Rosalina approaching her. "I have no idea who you are, but you have our gratitude."
Reaper Rose's eyes widened, recognizing the voice she heard when the universe was restored. "You're that woman from long ago…" She said as they heard a ship docking as they turned to see Hat Kid walking out.
"Hey uh… is this a burger joint?" She asked.
Later, on K2L…
"Oh goodness gracious, I love this harvest!" Reaper Rose said, happily collecting souls while casually dodging stray bullets.
She picked up a soul. "Rest easily, brave huntsman. You fought a good fight." She said, absorbing it as she turned around to see everyone had disappeared. "Huh? Where'd everyone go? Is the war over or-"
BOOOOOOM!
Reaper Rose floated in the vacuum of space where K2L once floated. She blinked, coughing out soot. "Oooooh, the planet was about to explode… gotcha… ooooooow…"
She made a portal and floated in. "Well, on the bright side, at least I got Dark Samus's soul in this war."
Later…
Yang approached Reaper Rose. "Hey sis!"
"Hmm? Oh hey, what is it?"
"Shantae invited us over for a vacation. You want to come with? You've reaped souls for so long, you could use a vacation."
"...Well, I could use a change of scenery. Sure. But I'm warning you, if someone dies over there, I'm soul harvesting."
Yang laughed. "Don't worry about it. Let's go!"
Meanwhile, back at Cuphead Hell…
"I don't understand it, we've been getting less souls each and every month. I don't get it!" Devil said.
"EXCUUUUUUUUUSE ME!"
"Oh, for the love of HELL." The Devil turned around to glare at Stickler. "What do you want!"
"Your soul debt is off the charts. You will need to take care of Ruby Rose for she is taking your job as the soul reaper! No one is taking you seriously anymore."
"Soul debt, schmoul debt! I could care less about that little grim reaper."
"...Do you want me to sing it?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"I would."
"You wouldn't!"
"Ooooooooh, ten million bottles of beer on the wall-"
"AAARGH! Dice, come with me! We're going to take care of a little reaper problem!"
"Coming, Big D!"
At Paradise Island…
Reaper Rose relaxed in a beach chair. "Aaah, I can't remember the last time I relaxed for a while… it was probably when I took Jacques's soul after that stunt Seryu did but what can ya do…"
Devil poofed next to her. "Hey!"
"You're in my light. Buzz off."
"Don't shoo me away! You have become a thorn in my side!"
Reaper Rose looked toward the Devil. "...And you're supposed to be?"
"Old Scratch! The Devil! Satan! Pick your poison!"
"Riiiiight… you're still in my light."
"You've been harvesting souls better than I can, buster! I demand that you cease this at once or I will take your soul!"
"Really, you're just going to take my soul just like that?" Reaper Rose stood up. "Buddy, I am the Rose Reaper. You don't even scare me."
"Ruby Rose, you are to cease this nonsense or else!"
Reaper Rose smirked. "Idiot who got his soul taken away say what?"
"...What?"
Reaper Slashed!
"EEEK!" King Dice shrieked as Reaper Rose took the Devil's soul and absorbed it. "What did you do?!" He yelled.
"...You want to go with your boss?"
King Dice grabbed the Devil's body. "No no! I'm good!" He took off running.
"I thought so. …Now where was I? …Oh right, relaxation." She got back on the beach chair and sighed happily, drinking a margarita. "Paradise~"
"Aaaaand that will wrap things up here. Sorry I wasn't saying anything, I was too engrossed by this wonderful chaotic bliss that Ruby was making! Until next time anyone, Hades out!"
Shout out to Wizard Magic for coming up with this What If idea. I had way too much fun with this!
Ibuki: *cackling* Oh, this was priceless! Ruby-chan's awesome!