Title: The Ability to Love
Word Count: 240
Rating: K, for light references to criminal activity.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein contained. I only own the text.
Watching The Chronicles of Riddick again. Interesting characters, hence my usual character exploration. Riddick is one of my favorite fictional characters. The unusual balance between humanity and animalistic criminal interests me. So I wrote on it. Spoilers.
Sometimes Jack—Kyra—wonders if Riddick could ever have loved. Her, Fry, anyone. Maybe, she thinks, maybe. He and Fry were kindred spirits, strong and beautiful in their fury. Maybe he felt something for Fry—she convinced Riddick to come back for her and Immam—but Jack—Kyra—doesn't think so. Not enough time or soul between the two of them, not enough humanity left in Riddick. She and Riddick had more time, maybe he could have loved her. But deep somewhere she can't touch, she knows that he couldn't. He changed, certainly, on that desert planet with the creatures—monsters--, but she doesn't think he changed that much. And she herself changed too much, and by the time they met again, there was not enough soul or humanity or whatever left in either of them, let alone for either of them combined. He would always be a murderer, and with that, she realized, he would always be detached from society, from people, from her. They were similar criminals, and would always be able to connect because of that, but love was too far a leap. She thought that maybe she fell in love with him somewhere during that long trek in the desert, the desperate love of a young girl wanting protection. She thought she would always love him, and hell, maybe she did, but more than that, they were comrades. And in the end, love was too much to ask for either of them.