Kali opened her eyes a little bit and sniffed the air quitely. It smelled very damp and univiting. She looked herself over, she was wearing Ryoga's clothes but, they appeared to have a more feminine touch. She sighed, relived that she was inside Ryoga's dream...or nightmare.
     Ryoga was in a far corner head bent in shame a sickly green aura around him. Kali proceeded to him with caution. She needed to get that aura out of his system before the thorns on the outside penitrated inside and killed him. She bent down to him and hugged him in a motherly comfort.
     " Ryoga...come on now...you don't want to be depressed for the rest of your life do you? " she asked fliping up his bangs to see his eyes better. They were red from crying and his tear-stained cheeks made Kali feel uneasy. He peered up and looked at her aura deflating.
     " Kali? "
     " Yes, " she smiled warmly letting his bangs fall again.
     " Why are you doing this to me...? " he asked head direct and focused on her.
     She tilted her head a little bit. " I could hear your heart yelling for it...you wanted to fight your depression, and I gave you the chance to do so. "
     Ryoga sighed again. " Sayonora Shi Shi Hokodan... "
     Kali smiled. " Konnichiwa Bauksi Tencants! " she lightly poked him in the arm with her pointer finger and he cheered up some what.
     Suddenly the room faded into the Tendo Dojo, and Ryoga stood up, Kali following his every movements.
     Ryoga stopped suddenly when he reached the front door, to find it cracked open. Kali bumped her nose into his back. " Gee! Watch it will you! "
     " Sorry, " Ryoga sighed, sounding distant and unclear.
     Kali twitched a little at his response. She knew how these nightmare squences went, Ryoga would open the door and find something that could cause him to commit suicide or murder.
    Ryoga opened the door slowly and Kali braced herself for the worse...
     Akane and Ranma were seated next to eachother on the floor, they were intently kissing and preparing to round second base.
     Ryoga fummed. " RANMA! REMOVE YOURSELF FROM AKANE! "
     Akane turned sharply to Ryoga and stood up as Ranma smirked devilishly on the floor.
     " Ryoga...do yourself a favour and remove yourself from my house! " Akane exclaimed. Hit one.
     " Akane...I was only trying to...Ranma's such a pervert...that I... " Ryoga babbled.
     " A pervert, huh? You should talk! I figured out your little scam about P-chan! Sleeping with me, how utterly disgusting! " Akane fummed shaking her fist angrly. Hit two.
     " You knew...Akane...I'm so sorry...I... " Ryoga began to lose himself.
     " Take your empty and pathetic apologies and lose them along with yourself, " Akane huffed nose to the heavens as she slammed the door causing Ryoga to stumble slightly. Hit Three...done, ended, over.
     Ryoga fell to his knees. His world had crumbled...Akane...hated him...far from any hatred. The vomit that hung in his throat was quickly swallowed as his heart drained of warmth and began to fill with pumping sorrow.
     " Why...Oh WHY?! WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO HATE ME?! AKKKAAANNNNEEEE!!! " Ryoga cried out desperately hands shaking to the sky.

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     Akane on the other hand, had been watching intently and quietly on the screen above Ryoga the moment his nightmare started. * He's...P-...chan?...Some how it doesn't surprise me... * After his last scream of her name the tears began to flow at a steady but, increasing rate.

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     Kali began to feel nervous and over come with a sudden nasuea. " Ryoga... "
    " What...WHAT?! GOD WHAT?! " he screamed at her the sickly green depression aura fading and coming back.
     " So what if Akane hat...dis-likes you? There are plenty of other fish in the sea so to speak... " Kali half-smiled definsively.
     " You don't understand...Akane was the only one that showed me what it was like to love...she was my first love, only love...without her I am dead...so she is my last love, " Ryoga cringed trying to hold in the tears, a small Shi-Shi-Hokodan ball forming in his hands and the Tendo dojo fading out of sight.
     Kali placed her hands into his, feeling his depression mix into her system, causing her to feel unbalanced.
     He looked up at her, his eyes were no longer soft brown but, hard and green overcome with depression. " Kali...let me die in peace... "
     Kali shook her head. " Uh-uh, No way, Ryoga. If you hurt yourself, then I wouldn't be able to help you. "
     " Help...ha...youv'e helped me plenty... " Ryoga sighed letting the depression ki grow.
     Kali could feel twiching in her own eyes, and she was positive they were becoming sickly green as she felt the pent up depression, sorrow, hurt, agony, and hatred swell in her throat and chest. She closed her eyes breifly, then opened them again. " So this is what it's like to die Ryoga Hibiki... "
    " Yes... " he responded ki remaining the same shape and size and not growing to it's full ammount.
     " I never would have guessed it could be so...terrible...is this how all human's die? " she questioned him as he perked up and his depression began to move in a backwards motion.
     " No...some...people don't die with this much pain...they die old...sometimes with disease...sometimes with no pain at all... " Ryoga exhaled.
     " So why are you choosing this path? Die old...Ryoga...you have too much to look forward to in life... " Kali cooed feeling her eyes return to normal as the ki ball shrank.
     " Like...Like what? " Ryoga quivered.
     " Dating...Marriage...Having children... " Kali smiled but, then to her horror the ki began to grow again at a rapid pace.
     " All of those things require love...which I have none to give...if that is all life consists of is love...then why bother living? " Ryoga sighed both outwardly and inwardly.
     Kali felt the twiching return in her eyes and the crawling increase on her skin. " RYOGA! DON'T BE SO BLIND! Why the hell do you think I'm standing here? Why the hell do you think I am even here? I saw the thorns rip at your body, and I'm here to help you. I don't want you to injure yourself so I am trying to take your pain away but, how can I if you can't see past your own depression. It's already starting to kill you... "
      Ryoga breathed out and the ki began to fall away rapidly. " You care for me? "
     " It answers the question of why I'm standing here doesn't it? The world isn't such a dark and lonely place when you can be with someone who cares... " Kali shifted from one foot to the other as she tapped her hands together, revealing a screen with Akane crying trying to reach out to a bloody Ryoga.
    " Ryoga...why do you have to hurt yourself and make me worry? Why would you think I would disown you? We've come too far...to lose it all... " Akane cried out reaching again.
     Kali wove her hands and made the screen disapear. Ryoga turned back to the person who saved his life.
     " Kali...Akane...cares for me the way I care for her? " Ryoga beamed slightly.
     " Love full of care and understanding...yes...that sums it up, " Kali replied as she began to make a spiral wind of blue rose petals float around Ryoga. They slowly caried him up higher and higher. He felt as if he was rising out of a pool, holding his breath, till he reached the top.

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     Akane still cried hand out reached. She took her hand back in surprise as the thorns and roses untwined themselves from Ryoga and he slipped free and stood up, watching the sores and scrapes disapear. Kali faintly appeared in the light and then stepped out of it as it faded to black.
     " Akane...you? " Ryoga asked bent down to her.
     " Care for you Ryoga...yes, so very much, " Akane smiled and hugged him tightly. " Don't scare me ever again... " she cried out.
     Kali sighed and turned to examine the two others, she looked over to Kuno and gasped. " Shit! " she yelled making her way into the light and kissing the newest, open wound.
     Ryoga and Akane turned to face Kuno, his chest dripped with old and fresh blood, the thorns digging in deeper than Ryoga's. They began to feel queasy as they watched the screen form over his sleeping body.

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