Ruby Rose's eyes slowly opened as she looked around to inspect her surroundings. Where was she...? The area she was in resembled...a tomb of some sort. It was made of stone, and the room was dimly lit...



She had no time to take in her surroundings when the sound of someone clearing their throat got her attention. Turning to the source, Ruby almost immediately shrieked in shock when she saw a man in a black cloak looking at her. The strangest thing about this man was not his cloak, nor the scythe he carried...But rather the fact that he was quite literally a skeleton.



"H-Huh?!" Ruby squeaked out. "Wh-What happened?! I was just...fighting that other girl, and then...Then..." Ruby's already pale complexion paled further remembering her battle with Riful the West.



"Ah...Yes, well...I guess you could say ya kinda died." The skeleton replied casually in a Jamaican accent.



"...No..." Ruby whispered. The skeleton frowned.



"Allow me to introduce meself... I am the Grim Reaper. Master of the forces of life and death."



"NO!" Ruby roared defiantly. "It's NOT true! I am NOT dead!" Grim raised his hands defensively.



"Hey, hey, take it easy-OW!" Ruby had picked a stone up off the ground and tossed it at his face. "Hey! That hurt-OHOHOHOW!" Ruby tossed another stone at his face. "Now you better stop that right-OOOOOW!" Ruby threw a full sized rock at Grim's stomach. "I swear, I will-EEEEEK!" Grim held his bony hands to a very tender part of his body. "Consarn it, girl!" He snapped. "Will ya just calm down already and let me explain?!"



"You don't need to explain ANYTHING!" Ruby snapped. "I won't let you take me away! I have to get back to school! I need to get to my team mates!" Grim began to approach. "GET AWAAAAAAAAY!" Grim shrieked and ducked as Ruby swung Crescent Rose, nearly taking his head off.



"Dang it, I knew I should've taken that while you were unconscious!" Grim moaned. The reaper pulled out his own scythe. "All right, girl, you asked for this! What do you say we put a little wager on this fight?"



"What is it?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowed.



"If I win, I get that scythe of yours." Ruby blinked in confusion. "What? It's cool!" Grim replied defensively. Ruby grinned.



"She IS cool, isn't she?"



"Uh-huh, you did such a fantastic job designing it! How'd you get it to work, anyway?"



"Oh, well, first-" Ruby shook her head. "Gah, I can't waste time explaining how my scythe works to you! I gotta beat you first!" Grim smirked.



"Well, IF you beat me, which you WON'T, I'll be your best friend...FOREVER."



"And you have to take me home!" Ruby replied.



"Yeah, yeah." Grim muttered, rolling his nonexistent eyes. "Let's just do this thing. My soaps will be on any minute now, and I don't wanna miss 'em!"



Who will be reaped?



FIGHT!



Ruby made the first move. She pointed Crescent Rose behind her and launched a powerful bullet from the scythe, launching herself towards the reaper, who had no time to react before a powerful kick connected with his ribs.



"Oof!" Grim grunted as he stumbled back. "All right, not bad, girl, but get a load of THIS!" Grim pointed his scythe forward, and a green energy bolt launched towards Ruby, just narrowly missing her as she agilely flipped out of the way. Grim fired more energy bolts at the huntress in training, all of which she managed to avoid with flips, rolls and bursts of speed. Eventually, Ruby pointed Crescent Rose at Grim and began to fire back at him as he continued to launch energy blasts. However, unlike Ruby, Grim was not prepared to dodge, and let out a yelp of pain as every bullet Ruby fired connected.



"Hey, no fair! I can't do any of those fancy acrobatics!" Grim whined.



"I didn't think the grim reaper would be such a baby!" Ruby called out. Grim's shoulders slumped.



*SNIFF* "A...A baby...?" He said softly. "Why would you call me a baby? That's just mean..." Ruby began to feel a little guilty.



"Okay, okay...Sorry? I...Didn't think the grim reaper would be so...sensitive."



"WE REAPERS HAVE FEELINGS TOO!" Grim snapped bitterly, turning away and crossing his arms. "You're a jerk, Ruby Rose!" Ruby's cheeks puffed out in annoyance.



"Hey, I already told you I was sorry! Stop being such a child!"



"Oh, look who's talking!" Grim snapped.



"SH-Shut up!" Ruby snapped. And with that, she charged forward, ready to slice Grim's head off. Grim managed to raise his scythe just in time, and the two weapons clashed for several seconds before Ruby hopped back. Using her semblance, she dashed forward, and Grim had no time to react to what happened next.



Ruby swung Crescent Rose wildly, yet skillfully. She nailed Grim in the chin with the top part of the blade, knocking him skyward with a very undignified girly scream. Pointing the weapon at the ground, she fired a bullet, propelling herself into the air. Once she reached her fellow scythe wielder, she slashed at the skeleton rapidly, even beginning to spin in midair like a tornado of red and black, every hit nailing Grim. To end the combo, she twisted her body, swinging the blade of her scythe down atop Grim's head, sending him spiralling to the ground, creating a crater in the shape of his body when he hit. Once Grim hit the ground, Ruby went down after him and nailed him in the ribs with her foot before flipping off of him.



Grim rose to his feet, nursing his broken ribs. "All right, girl, now it's time for me to get serious!" He threatened. Ruby glared and charged forward...and suddenly, Grim's scythe began to glow, almost like...a lightsaber.



Ruby, not to be deterred, continued her charge. Grim ran for her as well, and the scythes clashed. Grim and Ruby rapidly exchanged swings of their weapons, but Grim was realizing fast that he didn't have the skill to keep up with Ruby in close quarters combat. And so, the next time their weapons clashed, Grim hopped backwards.



"I think it's time to send ya right where you belong, Ruby!" Grim said as he held his scythe to the air. "TO ME, FORCES OF THE NETHERREALM!" Ruby stared at the reaper with a raised brow before letting out a shriek as she found herself suddenly being slowly dragged backwards. Looking back, she saw a green vortex, slowly pulling her towards it. She let out an "EEK!" and started running as fast as her legs would carry her... "GET RID OF THIS MORTAL!" Grim said in exasperation as Ruby struggled to escape. Grim sighed with relief. It was a tough fight...But he had won-



5...



Why did Ruby just disappear into rose petals?



4...



And...why did Grim's scythe just suddenly go flying out of his hand?



3...



Aaaand, why was Grim's head sent flying into the wall?



2...



How did things go so downhill so quickly?!



Grim felt himself get picked up, and found himself looking into the smirking face of Ruby Rose. "Sooo....does this mean I win?"



K.O.!



Grim began to cry. "NOOOOOOO, I CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE THE SAME STUPID MISTAKE!" He sobbed, remembering the time he had made that bet with Billy and Mandy. Ruby frowned.



"Can you please take me home now?" She asked. Grim collected himself and nodded.



"...I was gonna do that anyway..." He mumbled. Ruby blinked.



"Huh?"



"Well who do you think has the job of bringing back everyone who dies in these Death Battles? Some scientist or something? No, they're paying me to fix up their messes. It takes the master of death to fix big deals like that. Heck, your sister's died three different times, mon! Look!" Grim pulled out three pictures of Yang, one of which had her lying in a crater, one of which had her split in half from a kick, and one of which had her disembodied legs kneeling on the ground as a rock-like figure left in the background. Ruby felt sick to her stomach.



"Oh my God..." Grim nodded.



"I know! I mean, what kind of sick twisted individual would make us fight just for their own amusement?" As he said this, Grim gave an accusatory glance at the camera, glaring at the DB writers. "But, oh well, I fix everything, nobody gets hurt, no harm, no foul, right?"



"...People are dying, and you're saying nobody gets hurt?" Ruby asked with a raised brow.



"Well they get back okay, at least!" Ruby frowned.



"Sooo...You're my best friend now?" Grim grimaced.



"Dang it, I wanted you to forget that part of the deal..." Ruby grinned. She was friends with DEATH now? This was an interesting development... And by 'interesting', she meant totally awesome.



"Well, c'mon, Grim, let's go home!"



"...I hate my life." Grim said bitterly.



THIS MELEE'S WINNER IS...RUBY ROSE!