disclaimer: whatev. just dont sue me.

just to quell this little rumor before it really takes root in all your cute lil' brains, this will not be a romance between riddick and rhyah. since she's technically him, that would be...awkward. to say the least. either way, it's not going to end romantically. its going to end in a sort of, brother sister, father daughter sorta way. thing.

got it?

good.

Chapter 6

The Music of a Broken Heart

Rhyah awoke the next morning, feeling somewhat refreshed, but angry and ashamed at her behavior the previous night. Riddick was off, wandering the halls. There was a rumor on the Basilica that he didn't sleep, simply stalked the halls of his ship all day and night. She had also heard stories of a tragic, romantically tangled love story--which she didn't believe a word of--about his lost love and how he didn't sleep because he couldn't rest without her.

What a load of bull.

Rhyah swung through the dining room, grabbed a bagel and a glass of juice, and strode out the other side. She knew, somehow, exactly where her doppelganger would be.

-

Riddick lounged on his throne, strangely exalting in the bitter emptiness of the cool, dark room. The tall windows on either side of the throne room could almost be considered stained glass, if not for their gray appearance, to match everything else on this Goddamned ship.

He didn't know the reason he always felt drawn to this room. It was here that his life had come unraveled. Here, he had concluded, where he had gone insane. Truly insane. Yet, when he came to this room, he could still see her face. Just a glimmer of the beauty that quickly vanished into smoky grayness to match the rest of the ship.

He missed her.

Riddicks eyes trailed slowly to the door, which had been opened. The petite frame of his clone stood in the doorway, almost invisible, except for the splotch of white that was her T-shirt.

"Don't just stand in the doorway, kid."

Rhyah slid silently into the room. She suddenly wished she hadn't come. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach that she had interrupted a most sacred moment for Riddick. Her form slipped quietly into a beam of light shining lowly in from the glass windows, letting in starlight. Her retinas contracted violently as the light set upon them, leaving almost not pale silver, and all oceanic blue.

Riddick watched her. Everything about her reminded him violently of himself, twenty years earlier. Especially those eyes. Those two-tone blue eyes made something in his head snap. He didn't want her to come any closer, but he never wanted the little thing to leave.

"Am I interrupting?" Rhyah didn't really say it as a question, she knew she was.

Riddick got up from the throne and stalked out, flinching slightly as he walked through the sunbeams. Rhyahs now-solid blue eyes followed him to the door, and then looked down to the floor.

-

Dame Vaako heard a quiet knock at her chamber doors and said in a loud voice, "Come in!" she commanded.

She heard no one enter, so she turned to say the command louder.

"COME I-"

"I heard you." a soft voice cut her off.

Rhyah was standing in the middle of her room.

Dame Vaako arched one royal eyebrow. "May I help you?" she asked politely, if not a little tersely.

Rhyah nodded. "Tell me what happened to Riddick. When he first came here. What happened to him?"

Dame Vaako set down her hand mirror and gave a small sigh. "I don't know the whole story. I don't think anyone but Riddick really knows."

She stopped, taking in the girls lithe, condensed form. Rhyah leaned forward slightly. The light here was dim, so she had an even mix of pearly blue and electric blue, staring intently at dame Vaako. "Well? What do you know?"

Dame frowned. "He came here with a woman. A young, beautiful tiger that obviously loved him, and I think he loved her too. This was before Riddick became Lord Marshal. He was as ferocious as hurricane, and just as unstoppable. The old Lord knew he was a Furyan, and destined to defeat him, and tried to kill him. In our fear, we took the life of the young woman. Riddick wasn't the same after that."

The Dames voice slowed and quieted. "I think watching that poor girl die in his arms took some of the ferocity from him. That there's a part of him that found out how to love, and now that part of him doesn't have anything to do."

Rhyah scoffed inwardly. "You mean he's weak now? Because of a girl?"

Dames eyes sharply turned on the girl. "He is not weaker. If anything he is stronger. But hearing her pledge her love to him and then die made him different. He isn't as easily angered anymore. I said nothing about weakness."

Rhyahs scowl turned to a frown. "Do you really think he loved her?" she asked, so quietly, almost to herself, that the Dame almost didn't hear.

Dame smiled. "Yes, I think he did."

Without a goodbye, or thank you, Rhyah nodded to the Dame and left in a silent storm.

Dame shook her head. She was so like him.

--

Rhyah knew it was stupid to be running full speed around this damn ship, going Mecca-knows-where. She would probably get herself lost, and she was NOT asking for directions. But she needed this. She needed to blow off some steam. She was thinking, and physical activity made her brain work faster.

She wasn't thinking of anything complicated. Mostly it consisted of this:

Riddick was in love with a girl.

Does that mean I could love someone, too?

I wouldn't be that weak.

Dame said he wasn't weak.

But he has to be, if he let himself love someone.

Riddick was in love with a girl.

Does that mean I could love someone, too?

She was running circles in her head, too. She hated weakness. She hated anything that showed someone was cowardly, weak. She usually killed them for it.

She stopped abruptly, looking into one of the rooms she passed. The only reason she saw it was because it had white in it, which stood out against the dark grays that had become monotone.

It was a baby grand piano, all black, except for the brilliantly white ivory keys.

She walked in, sitting at the bench. Running her fingers across the keys, she wished she knew how to play. She had heard people tell stories with music, tell about anger, or sadness, or love…

Damn. There was that word again.

She only knew one tune, and it was only half of one.

C, C, E, E, A, A, C, C…

She her clumsy fingers slowly plunked out the base harmony of a song called "Heart and Soul." the large, empty gray room resonated with the sound, amplifying the chords a hundred times. But it was still only half of a song.

She plunked out the lower melody over and over, thinking about hearts, and souls, and love.

A thick, sinewy arm reached around her and began smoothly playing a melody.

"Heart and soul, I gave my love to you…"

Rhyah could feel the heat radiating off of Riddick. She wondered how he knew how to play the piano.

"Heart and soul, just like a fool would do…"

She was amazed at how the song sounded when it was complete. The piano was speaking to her.

"Madly, because you held me tight…"

Slowly, Riddicks other hand reached around her other side and played a sweet accompaniment that made the piece deeper than she thought music could possibly be. It rang through the room and covered them up.

A final chord was hit, and Rhyah was left once again plucking the simple little base harmony, until she hit the last note, and then the music gave way to a much louder silence.

An unexpected, rumbling laughter vibrated from the chest behind her.

"I didn't know you knew piano, Rhyah."

Riddick was in love with a girl.

Does that mean I could love someone too?

"I don't, really." she answered. "Only that one thing." she got up, quickly, feeling uneasy being so close to him, sandwiched between him and the piano. She ducked under his arm and made for the door.

Riddick grabbed her arm, marveling silently at her slender arm, which he could wrap his hand almost around, and wondering if he would be that skinny as a girl, or only if he was on his own as a child for two years. Pulling Rhyah back towards him, he met her two-tone eyes painfully. The pain didn't escape Rhyah. Nor did the pain in her eyes escape Riddick.

"I heard about Jack." Well, Rhyah had never been one for subtlety.

Riddick growled slightly at the name, and his hand tightened on her arm slightly.

Rhyah forced herself to keep a calm face. "Dame Vaako told me."

Riddick growled again, that ridiculously deep growl that barely made it on the sound spectrum. He released her arm forcefully and turned to leave.

"Did you really love her?" she called out recklessly. She suddenly wished she hadn't, and made a futile attempt to fade into the gray work.

Riddick stopped, but didn't turn around. Rhyah could see the muscles in his shoulders tense and ripple under his beater.

"Yes."

Then he was gone, and Rhyah was left with her thoughts of who he was, and what that meant for her.

----------------------------

oh good, riddick finally decided to talk. see? i told you he'd get around to it. you have to let the characters talk in their own pace, otherwise the story is forced.

and sorry for repetitive writing repetitive writing repetitive writing.

haha.

so....

review!!!!

.cough.