Authors' Note:
I BOUGHT THE RIGHTS TO RIDDICK!!!
Ha. Nope. Just kidding.
I do not own Riddick, or any of the other characters or places herein. They're copyright to Universal or whoever owns it.
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Imam had finished with his purchases and was on his way home with two young boys in tow; both loaded down with various goods.
He neatly side-stepped a group of chatting women, ignoring their looks of indignity as he bustled past. Riddick had taken full hold of the man's thoughts.
That man never brings anything good with him… He comes here with no regard for our safety… After he promised he would keep her safe.
Imam came to a complete stop outside his door. Her. That's why he's here.
Imam ushered the two boys into the house and showed them where to put away both the dry and the frozen goods. He then turned his attention to finding Riddick. He knew where he would be…
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Riddick vaguely acknowledged that Imam had arrived home, and continued to sift through Kyra's dresser. He'd spent the last hour combing through her belongings.
There.
He finally found them, shoved to the back of the bottom drawer. He held them delicately, almost tenderly as he examined the yellow swimming goggles.
If she's not the same little girl, I'd like to hear her bullshit excuse for keeping these…
Riddick was putting the goggles back when he saw a glint in the corner of the drawer. Narrowing his eyes, he picked up the small object to examine it.
Why the hell would she keep this?
Riddick turned the small silver object over in his palm. It was small, maybe a half inch in diameter. It looked like a button or…
Riddick looked down at his pants and nearly laughed. It was the top part of a snap-closure. As a matter of fact, it was the top part of the snap-closure from his left pocket. There were a dozen different times it could have been pulled off, but that didn't matter. He was more intrigued with why Kyra would have kept it this long.
"Riddick?"
Damn. Riddick tossed the snap back into the drawer and closed it.
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Imam knocked on the door. Heaven knows what the man was doing in Kyra's room, but Imam knew better than to barge in on Riddick. He wasn't about to push his luck with an easily angered convict, regardless of whether he had saved his life.
The door opened, and Riddick leaned against the door frame. "What?"
Riddick's figure took up the majority of the doorway, but what little of the room he could see looked the same as it had two days ago. At least Riddick had put away whatever he had been rooting through…
Riddick's eyes narrowed. "If you're wanting me to help you put away groceries, you can forget it."
Imam shook his head. "No. I want to know why you're here. Why you're really here."
"Why? Worried that I'm here to use the two of you as decoys, or that I'm going to kidnap Jack?"
Riddick pushed his goggles up. The dim lighting of Imam's house suited his eyes perfectly.
Imam took a step back at the sight of Riddick's silver eyes. It had been a long time since he'd seen those eyes, and none of the memories of them were that pleasant.
Imam swallowed. "I have come to care for Kyra as my own daughter."
Riddick looked mildly amused at his apprehension. "So you think I'm here to kill her or fuck her?"
Imam opened his mouth to reply when he felt a slight tug at the back of his robes. He turned to see the two boys from the market staring warily at Riddick.
"We- we finished putting away your goods, sir."
Imam smiled and nodded. "Of course, of course…" He dug into his pocket and pulled out two coins, giving one to each child. He ruffled the hair of the older boy. "I thank you for your help. Tell your mothers I thank them as well."
The boys nodded and fled down the stairs and out the door without a backward glance.
Imam turned back to face a grinning Riddick.
"Cute kids."
Imam ignored him. "I do not know why you are here, but do not take me lightly when I say that I would do anything to protect Kyra."
Riddick's smile dwindled to a smirk. "I'm glad you trust me." With that, he stepped back into Kyra's room and shut the door.
Imam rolled his eyes, exasperated, and went back downstairs to the kitchen. Kyra would be out of school and on her way to the training center to work with her Kali instructor.
And she'll have quite the surprise waiting for her here… Imam snorted. That was the understatement of the decade… He wasn't sure what she would do when she learned of Riddick's presence. He almost hoped Riddick would leave before she got home.
It wasn't that he didn't like Riddick. He had a great respect for the man. But Kyra had spent the last four years trying to forget Riddick's existence… He knew things would not go well when she saw him. Imam knew Kyra was a strong girl. He didn't doubt that she could handle it, but whether she would handle it violently was his concern.
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Riddick sat down heavily on Kyra's bed.
God damn. Since when does she smell so good...?
The Furyan removed his goggles and set them on her bedside table. He leaned close to her pillows and inhaled deeply. He could smell a mixture of sweat, perfume, and between the distractions of both scents, Her.
Jack had smelled something like this before, but now her scent had aged. Gained a new element. It was more complex now.
Riddick decided he liked it.
