Hi! This is my Pitch Black story. It'll follow through all of the movies, including the animated episode. To those of you who've read this before, the main plot hasn't changed. I've simply gone through and refined the wording and condensed the chapters so they weren't so short. If you're just finding this story, hello and enjoy! Let me know what you think. Oh, and since the movies have long since been released, I'll be uploading a chapter basically once a day. There's no reason to draw it out. :)

Chapter 1

The restraints were beginning to hurt his wrists. They were rubbing him raw and cutting off precious circulation to his hands. It had been twenty-plus minutes since Fry left the broken ship where he was tied and set off with the others to find Zeke. So why did he sense somebody nearby?

There were no footsteps, no scent of fear and no quickened heartbeat, so if someone was there they weren't scared. The wind blew in through the door bringing with it the dry, sweltering heat from the desert outside and something unexpected. There was a sweet smell carried with the current, the scent of a woman.

A grin crossed his lips as he cocked his head back to give himself better access to the aroma. He tilted his head from side to side for a brief moment, doing his best to peek through the holes in his blind fold, but had no luck in the process.

"You're new." He said. His deep gravely voice carried easily through the air.

The stranger didn't reply, only began the slow trek closer to the restrained animal. The footsteps were light, cementing his 'female' theory. She had 'light' feet, five four maybe five foot five and couldn't be more then a buck twenty pushing it.

This person was small, petite, and walked with authority, something the other women didn't do. She didn't have the 'worker' smell to her either like Shazza or Fry, so that was interesting. Come to think of it, he didn't remember smelling her get on the ship with the others. Still, the foot steps advanced until he could 'feel' her less than four feet from him.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.

Again he was met with silence. Whoever it was didn't want to be recognized. The situation was becoming irritating and made all the more annoying by the lack of communication. He was losing the little patience he had and decided that if they weren't scared of him, they would be.

Riddick lunged violently at the newcomer, growling like a caged animal and hoping for some reaction. He waited until silence fell once more.

She was inches from his face. Apparently she knew his reach and acted accordingly. She was just outside his perimeter, close enough he would have been able to hear her breath quicken and her heartbeat, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She still wasn't afraid of him. It was beginning to piss him off.

Riddick leaned forward and smelled her again, taking in a long deep breath and sure to inhale everything. As he exhaled, he felt something lightly touch his lips. It was soft, slightly wet, and he quickly realized what it was. Her tongue. She had licked his lips.

Riddick couldn't help but be taken aback by the small action, but felt himself become intrigued. He smiled and chuckled lightly as he licked his own lips. To his disappointment there wasn't much of her left behind to taste. It had been years since he had been with a woman -not something he wanted to admit to himself- but it was the truth.

"No fear." He said with a slight laugh. "I like that."

"Then you'll love me."

Riddick's heart quickened pace at the sudden sound of her voice. He had become almost accustomed to the silence when he spoke, but was grateful nonetheless that she showed some form of life. He grinned and took his seat again.

"And you are?" he asked.

"No one of importance." She answered simply. He heard her come even closer.

Riddick's head turned to the side as he felt her hand glide delicately up his arm. Her fingernails dug into the sensitive skin, and sent chills up his spine as she came closer to his shoulder.

"You're brave." He muttered in his deep voice. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

A light giggle touched his ears, a sweet, dulcet tone that held nothing in the ways of apprehension or worry.

"Richard B. Riddick," she began easily. "Currently an escaped convict from the Sklar prison planet in the Milky Way galaxy, no more then a few months trip from here. You were serving a 200 year sentence for a quadruple homicide."

Riddick could hear the smile in her words as her fingers continued to his chest. He felt a sudden burning inside his gut as she spoke. He knew he was being followed by mercs and god knew what else, but he had hoped a bounty hunter wouldn't have gotten to him while he was tied up. His muscles tightened and his fists clenched. His knuckles cracked and turned white under the pressure.

Without provocation, his legs -which were still unrestrained- came up and gripped the small woman by the waist. He clamped down on her tightly -threatening to squeeze the life from her- but something wasn't right. Although her breathing had become shallow from the pressure, Riddick didn't sense the fear he should have. He squeezed harder as she tried to wrench herself from him.

"Riddick… please…" she stuttered. Riddick felt her small hands trying to find a particular pressure point. It wasn't difficult for him to twist his tree-trunk sized legs just enough to stop her.

"Who are you?" he growled.

"Riddick stop…" her voice was becoming labored. "I can't…"

"I asked you a question!" he bellowed. His voice boomed off the surrounding walls.

She couldn't breathe and couldn't speak. Instead, with the last burst of energy she possessed, the stranger snatched the blindfold from his eyes.

The light was blinding, but the animal held tight. He could wait the few seconds for his eyes to adjust. She didn't have as long.

Finally, the burning, searing pain subsided and he got his chance to look at the limp, unconscious body in his grip. His chest immediately tightened.

"Rhyalla…" he muttered in shock.

Riddick quickly unwrapped his legs from around her body. Rhyalla fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.

It wasn't her… it couldn't be.

He sat in silence staring down at the limp form lying on the cold steel floor. It couldn't be her. It wasn't her, was it?

His eyes glanced over her body as he thought of how she could have gotten there, why she'd come and why she was too stupid to simply tell him who she was when she snuck into the chamber. Still, Riddick felt a slight twinge of pride that she'd managed to find him at all. The Verse was a large place.

Riddick had trouble looking away from Rhya while she slept soundly at his feet. He'd known her for so long… she was even responsible for the first body he dropped.

He remembered being released from the first slam he'd ever been sent to nearly fifteen years ago. His PO sent him to a halfway house run by this scary old bitty, bitter and mean. While he was there he met another young girl like him, cold, resentful, and abandoned by her parents when she was a baby. Perhaps the mutual abandonment was what drew them together in the first place. There was something oddly 'bonding' about knowing no one in the Verse wanted you.

One night, while Riddick had been walking around the outside of the 'compound', he heard screaming. Running around the corner, he found one of the other young men beating the hell out of Rhyalla. The next few moments were a blur. All he remembered was pounding the kid's face until he felt the ground beneath his fists. By the time he was done, there was nothing left of the kid and he realized this would be a one way ticket back to the slam. He ran. It wasn't his most proudest moment, but he was only fifteen/sixteen years old.

Rhya followed him and the two had grown close for the next year or so, dodging mercs and cops alike as the bounty and Riddick's ruthless reputation grew. In reality, some of Riddick's kills were hers, but he wasn't above taking them as his own. He wasn't sure if it was to keep her out of jail, or because he liked the fear his name created.

Their luck ran out however, and Riddick was captured. The years after were another blur, randomly coming into contact with her throughout, but usually taking it upon himself to vanish before things got too 'real' for his tastes.

The last time he'd seen the woman he knew as Rhyalla, was more then four years ago, right before he had got taken in again, but she was in trouble then too. As far as he had known, she was captured, so this couldn't be her… right?

He knew the only way he would really be able to tell was her back. The woman he knew had a large, distinct tattoo that covered most of her delicate skin, something she had acquired not one week before he left for the final time.

Riddick tried his best to roll her over onto her stomach. He knew he must have looked ridiculous trying to maneuver her, but he didn't care. Slowly, he managed to get her on her side and with his oversized feet did his best to push the back of her shirt up. As he inched the dust covered, sweaty fabric, the convict heard foot steps and arguing in the distance.

Great fucking timing… he thought to himself.

The voices grew closer and soon he had to give up on his pursuit to confirm her identity. Riddick quickly shuffled his way back into a sitting position and titled his head down so he could look as innocent as a man of his reputation could look. Within seconds, Johns came walking through the door, gun in hand.

"Who the fuck is that?" he asked coming to the girl's side and nudging her with his foot.

Riddick merely shrugged while he kept his head down.

"I thought you'd be done killing people by now." He said with a smirk. Johns kicked her over onto her back. "Not too bad looking though. Friend of yours?"

"Probably just another Merc looking for me." He replied. His eyes were still on the ground, but Riddick could see Johns inching towards the young woman at his feet.

Johns' back tightened and Riddick could sense his hesitation. It made him smile. Slowly, the 'cop' made his way up to the convict. He freely told Riddick what happened in the tunnels which both annoyed and surprised the convict. He was glad to know a bit about what lingered in the shadows, but Johns didn't tell him anything he couldn't have figured out himself.

"Finally found something worse than me, huh?" Riddick laughed.

"So here's the deal." Johns sighed. He ignored Riddick's open prying. "You'll work without chains, without bit and without shiv. You do what I say when I say it."

"For what?" Riddick snapped in irritation. "The honor of going back to some asshole in a cell? Fuck you."

Johns sighed, licked his increasingly chapping lips, and turned his attention back to the man in chains.

"The truth is," he sighed heavily. "Is 'cause I'm tired of chasin' you."

The convict's eyes shifted to the man in the uniform. Things just kept getting more and more interesting the longer he was around.

"You sayin' you'd cut me loose?" he wondered absently. Riddick wanted to test the 'cop'.

"I'm thinking you could've died in the crash." He offered.

"My recommendation," Riddick began in an eerily calm voice. "Do me. Don't take the chance that I'll get shiv happy on your wannabe ass."

"Okay."

"Ghost me motherfucker," he declared defiantly. "That's what I would do to you."

Johns' response was simple and quick. He unlatched his gun, cocked a round into the chamber and fired within the span of seconds. Riddick's head turned to the side, unwilling to watch as the bullet ripped through his skull. But when a moment passed and he hadn't died, he noticed it.

Chains began to rattle and his arms were no longer as tense as before. Slowly, cautiously, Riddick lowered them. They fell freely. The chains that once held him slid effortlessly through the railing and scaffolding of the ship's interior and to the ground.

Riddick's brows pooled together. It wasn't that he was ungrateful to be set free; it was that he wasn't sure why it happened. Johns remained confident as he stepped forward.

"I want you to remember this moment, the way it could have gone and didn't." He said. He wanted to assert himself as he produced the con's goggles. "Here."

Riddick leaned forward to take his eye protection, but at the last second lunged for the weapon hanging loosely in the 'cops' grip. He spun it around and aimed it squarely at Johns' throat.

The Bounty Hunter froze. His arms came up as Riddick debated whether or not to actually fire.

"Take it easy." Johns muttered quietly.

"Fuck you!" Riddick bellowed, steeling his aim on the man.

Johns remained still. He stared at the con holding his own weapon on him. But, even with the fear that saturated him to the point it seeped through his pores as easily as sweat, Johns kept his mind on the task at hand.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked as though he weren't nearing death with each breath.

Riddick couldn't believe what he was hearing. This piece of shit was trying to bargain with him. He felt there might be something he could use the spineless man for in the future though.

And then there was the fear. The sense of fear he got from the people around him was intoxicating and the most addictive thing he had ever felt.

"I want you to remember this moment." Riddick said with a calm an even voice. He wanted the Merc to know just how little his control truly was.

As he tossed the gun to the side and snatched the goggles from the Bounty Hunter's hands, he noticed the limp body of the woman lying on the ground next to them, still unconscious. Slowly, Riddick knelt over and picked her up in a cradle hold. At the moment he didn't care Johns might take it as a sign of weakness. In truth, Riddick just didn't trust what the man would do to her if he left her lying on the torn steel floor.

The large man glared at the weaker human before taking his newly acquired cargo to the main hull of the ship. He gently set her down with her back against the wall. He waited and watched Johns walk away before turning to the young woman.

The light was still a little too bright so he placed on the goggles he'd been handed. Riddick wasn't able to look her in the face as she sat in the sun. With her still out, he had ample opportunity to examine her like he couldn't before.

She had the same delicate features as the woman he knew, the same dark hair that was always in a bun and the same fair skin. While she was like this, he knew he could move her without her becoming violent. Slowly, Riddick leaned her forward and rested her head on his shoulder as he began to lift up her shirt. Beginning at the base of her spine was a black design. The higher he pulled her shirt, the more of the elaborate design he could see.

A mixture of curiosity and pride swelled within him again as he laid Rhya back against the steel wall. Lightly, he tapped the side of her face. Nothing. Again, he tapped her face, gradually waking her from the slumber he had put her in.

Groggily, she looked around. The world around her was fuzzy. She could see a few shapes and colors, but little else.

Rhya's eyes soon landed on the massive, hulking figure looming in front of her with the hollow eyes. Her gaze narrowed as she examined him. Soon, her vision began to clear and the hulk took shape. Riddick could see the instant she recognized him because she openly scowled. He chuckled in response. Still silent, the cocky young man lifted his goggles and rested them on his forehead so she could see his ultraviolet orbs. Her glare deepened.

In a flurry of movement, Rhya's arm shot out. Her fist connected violently with Riddick's jaw and sent him stumbling to the floor. If he hadn't been sitting on his toes, he could have caught himself, but Rhya seized her chance. Riddick growled.

"Feel better?" he asked as he stroked his chin. He pushed himself back into his crouched position in front of her. He cocked a single brow at the irritated young woman.

"Was there a need for that back there?" she asked as she tried to stand.

Rhyalla winced in pain from broken -or at least bruised- ribs he'd left her with. She paused when she nearly fell until his arm came out to help her. Rhya steadied her dizzy head and took a few breaths as she leaned her back against the comforting, contorted steel.

"How the hell was I supposed to know it was you?" he asked in a deadpan voice. "Haven't seen you in years. Thought you'd be dead by now. You were running last time I saw you."

"Like wise. But it looks like I didn't get caught." She said angrily.

"Why you here?" he finally asked as she came to stand.

"Heard you might be on a transport, thought I could have some fun." She replied before looking into his shining eyes. "I was wrong."

"They know you're here?"

She shrugged a shoulder.

"Doubt it. How many are there?"

"I don't really know. A few holy men, couple kids, a cop, some chick passing herself off as the fucking captain and a few others."

"A cop? Really?" she asked with a smile.

"No. He's just a Merc in a pretty outfit." He said before smiling slyly and taking a step forward. "Why are you really here?"

Rhyalla cocked a brow as he placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head. He was sure to close the distance between them. She watched him silently. Rhya couldn't help but stare into his black, deadly eyes. Honestly, they were enchanting, whether you wanted to admit it or not. You could see the blackness that seemed to reflect most of his character, but the silver reflection when the light hit them was unlike anything else. It reminded her of a hurricane, the colors twisting and intermingling like the deadly storm clouds before they devastated everything nearby.

She smiled sweetly. Her hands glided up his muscled abdomen to his chest while her fingernails sporadically dug into his flesh. A groan was heard deep within his throat, approving her actions as she brought her hands to his face. Still smiling innocently, Rhya let him lean in a bit further, knowing he anticipated a kiss.

Riddick could feel the heat from her skin, smell the sweet scent she always emitted and wanted to taste her once again, after all this time. His eyes closed and as his lips parted, longing to join with hers before he felt her grip tighten. Suddenly, his head was pulled back only to be brought forward and violently connected with her forehead.

The man stumbled back for a brief moment with his head in his hand. She smiled her contentment, and a giggle escaped her mouth. Riddick shot her a glare. His face was cold, angry, and vengeful. She knew that look, and she knew the ones who got it never lived long. Fearing she had taken her game too far, Rhyalla turned to run only to be snatched back by her waist.

Fear finally took hold as his massive paws enclosed around her narrow waist and thrust her body into the fallen staircase nearby. Her chest hit it hard. The sound of flesh hitting the metal echoed in the empty chamber. She winced in pain, but didn't have the chance to move before Riddick pressed his body against her back. He wrapped his massive hand around the bun tied in her hair and held tight. He jerked it maliciously making her cry out in pain and tilted her head back meanly.

"You know better then to fuck with me." He growled. His grip tightened when he spoke.

"Get off me." She hissed.

"Oh come on, Rhya…" he said with a slight laugh. His mouth came within inches of her exposed neck. "You know me better then that."

"I'm warning you Riddick, let me go or I'll…"

"You'll what?" he asked, his lips grazing her skin.

"Or I'll scream." She replied.

A wicked smile graced his full lips and he let out a breathy, "Exactly."