LAST TIME:

"It's not you I'm afraid of…"

He trailed off cryptically, a tremor running up his spine as the things moved on. He let out a slow sigh of relief, his eyes falling shut. Riddick gripped the make-shift shiv in his hand, and tensed as the blonde before him practically collapsed. In reflex, his arms shot out to catch the lithe form, and he cradled the tan face in his free hand.

- - -

When Naruto woke, he was surrounded by worried faces. Shooting up, his hands ran over his own body, making sure everything was in it's place. He gazed up at them guiltily, palming the back of his head in a very Uzumaki manor. He shot Johns and Fry a sheepish grin, as he was pulled to his feet by Imam and the pilgrim boys.

He was making friends far too fast for his liking… Looking to the ground where he knew he'd dropped his kunai—his favorite one, too—only to find it missing. His shoulders slumped sadly, and he only looked up when someone asked him a question.

"What the hell happened?" Johns said, waving a hand in front of Naruto's face.

"Oh, you know," The blonde smiled. "The usual."

- - -

Naruto kept avoiding the subject of what had occurred, which only pissed their resident gunman off even more. He'd ask a question; Naruto would somehow magically change the subject. The blonde was sly, and wicked smart, and wanted to keep a secret. Well, if he wanted to keep it; it would damn well be kept.

"Are you ever going to tell me—" Johns was cut off as the pilgrims sprung forward again in a sprint as they spotted a small village.

"No," Naruto said. "I'm not going to tell you."

Johns sighed, looking at the short man next to him. "It seems we've found civilization…"

"Seems we have," He nodded. "Though, I'm willing to bet that it's not inhabited."

- - -

A scrambling sound stopped Paris mid-bit of his caviar. He eased out of his rocker, moving around to the rear edge of the ship and looked down on a shadow ducking under him. Small rocks were still trickling down a dirt rampart just climbed by… someone.

"This now qualifies as the worst fun I've ever had," Paris sneered. "Stop it."

There was no response.

War-pick in hands, Paris eased himself to ground-level. He checked the perimeter; looking inside the ship as well as out. There was nobody to be seen. Was he being fucked with? Again? He hoped…

"Jack? Oh, Jack…" He called out softly.

"What?" His voice echoed back from the cargo hold—Not where he expected.

Blades of sunlight streamed through the cracks in the hull as Paris entered to find Shazza and Audrey cutting open containers. They were searching for usable goods. There was an excited yell from outside, and Paris peaked out to see their searching party back from the hunt. They seemed to be in high hopes.

Paris waved, turning back to the two people in the cargo hold. "Tell me that was you."

"Okay, it was me," Jack stood up straight, hands on his hips. "What'd I do now?"

"Assailing my fragile sense of security, that's what…" Paris said, stepping in further.

"What're you goin' on about? She's been right here for the last…" Shazza stopped herself, eyes going wide as the sun blades that cut into the room were momentarily blocked by something passing outside.

Someone.

"Zeke?" Shazza probed quietly.

No answer… Jack sprung to the other side of the hold, putting an eyes to a crack there. He pulled back, whirling around to mouth a silent alarm: "RIDDICK!"

Paris went bloodless. Shazza grabbed the war-pick from out of his frozen hands, and moved, catlike, to the main doors and poised there. She was ready to strike. Jack followed, the hunting boomerang clutched tightly in his hand. All eyes watched as the sun blades, winking off and on, charted Riddick's approach. It was as if they were in a magician's sword box, watching the blades shave closer and closer to them.

Suddenly a person appeared in the door way, and Shazza swung hard.

"No!" A voice called out, and Naruto came rushing into view; sliding to a stop in front of the oncoming blade.

Shazza froze, the blade a breath away from Naruto's right eye. She pulled it away with a curse as she saw the stranger standing behind the small blonde. Naruto spun around to face his burned, half naked form. One hand was still clutching the emergency-release lever of his cryo-locker.

"I thought…" He gasped out. "My God, I thought I was the only who—"

He lurched forward toward Naruto, trying to embrace him. Suddenly, loud gunshots echoed across the terrain and blood and brain-bits splattered across the blonde's tan face. The stranger sunk bonelessly to the ground. Zeke stood, not two meters away, pistol leveled but shaking. He read their horrified faces, and understood immediately what he'd just done.

"Oh, lord," Paris said breathlessly.

"It was just somebody else," Jack cried out, but Shazza held the boy back. "From the crash! He was just…"

"Cripes… I thought it was him. The murderin' ratbag," Zeke dropped the pistol, his hands going straight to his head. "I though he was…"

He rushed over to check the dead stranger. As he bent down, Naruto looked up and over at the crash ship. Blood was smeared across his whiskered face, and he licked his lips as he caught sight of the goggled murderer lounging casually in the chair Paris had previously inhabited.

No one else saw him, even as he sprung from his seat, spotting Zeke's breather not too far off.

- - -

"We found a boat," Johns said, watching as Zeke pulled corpse number four—the stranger—on the drag-sled over to the communal grave he'd been digging. "A small skiff. It's not too far away."

"All we need to do is grab some things here to adapt to the circuitry there," Fry commented, handing the strip of cloth from her head to Naruto as a way to clean his face off.

The blonde took it with a bitter smile, and the others all listened with fascination as they told the story of the abandoned village. Naruto, however, walked away a few paces, rubbing his face clean. He couldn't get the image out of his mind, or the taste out of his mouth. Not that it had been the first time he'd seen something like it, but it wasn't like he'd wanted to see more.

With shaky breathes, he chucked the material as far as he could, and ran a hand through his hair. He could use a fucking drink… Apparently someone had heard his silent plea as a bottle was thrust into his face. He followed the trail of taunt muscle back to the face of Mr. William J. Johns, holding the liquor out for him to take.

"It'll just make me more dehydrated," He commented softly, taking it anyway as he downed a quarter of the bottle—anything to make his reality fuzzy for a while.

"True," Johns nodded, walking forward a few steps and pulling Naruto with him. "But it'll make it a little better."

"Only a little," Naruto consented, downing a bit more, and immensely enjoying the burn of it.

- - -

Zeke reached the grave sight. The sun-tarp had fallen to one side, blocking the sight-line between ship and grave. He started to unload the body but noted something he hadn't seen before. There was some kind of opening at the bottom of the grave.

"Now, what the bloody hell…" Zeke muttered, hopping down into the grave.

Riddick was hidden among the spires. He'd been waiting in silence for a chance like this one…

Zeke dropped down onto all fours, looking into the tunnel. There seemed to be some kind of burrow beyond it. He took a handlight off his belt, and shined it into the burrow. It was the last thing he'd ever do.

- - -

More gunshots jarred everyone by the ship, and Naruto dropped the bottle in his hand, eyes wide with horror. He sprinted off, toward the sound of screaming—Zeke's screaming. Shazza and Johns were right behind him. The smell of blood was dancing on the air, and Naruto slipped to a stop before the pit, landing on his ass before sliding under the tarp and into the hole itself.

He stared at Riddick who gripped his bone shiv tightly in one hand. Naruto's kunai was tucked away in the man's belt, and he couldn't help the low growl that slid past his lips. Blue melted away to reveal a deep crimson, and his nails grew impossibly sharp as his aura changed from brick-shitting fear into an undeniable rage.

Shazza hit the grave site before Johns could, and she slapped away the tarp to reveal Riddick and Naruto squaring off. She looked own and screamed at the sight of blood smeared there…

Riddick sprung away, loping through the spires, running from the scene of the crime. He turned a blind corner, and something nearly blew his head off at close range. He hit the ground, and a boot stepped down on his neck, keeping him there.

"Same crap, different planet, huh?" Johns growled, shotgun pointed at the man's head.

TBC

review please

much love, Tara