Sorry for the long wait!

The dream referenced here is from Talicor's Sand Castles .

Luke jerked in his bed, waking up abruptly with a cry.

Where was this? Wasn't he in Tatooine? Where did the sand go?

His eyes darted back and forth as his breath came shorter and shorter. The room was blacker than night, as dark as the mask of Vader's armor. Just as dark - Vader could be there, right there, and he wouldn't realize it. Suddenly, all he saw was sand and a black, black mask looming over him -

Garish lights filled the room. Luke flinched at the sudden brightness.

A disheveled Ani glared at him from across the room, one hand on light switch.

"You are twenty years old," the boy hissed. "If you have a bad dream, kindly handle it yourself without waking up the whole base with your infernal mewling."

Luke's throat went dry. All he saw was ash-colored sand reflected in Ani's furious eyes.

Ani frowned at him, some anger draining from his posture. "You would have normally apologized by now."

Luke blinked. "Right.. right, sorry. For waking you, I mean. Sorry."

The boy looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

brushed sand from the mask, leaving dark metal behind; triangular mouthpiece, empty red eyes

"Luke?"

He jumped. Ani was sitting on the edge of his bed when did he get there? looking at him with something that he could have mistaken as concern, had it been from anyone else.

But perhaps Ani was concerned, what did he know about this boy anyway? This child he had felt compelled to save, a child he had been drawn to for no krething reason-

Why are you here?

I don't know... I thought I sensed something about you.

"Luke." The voice was firmer and those large empty eyes, everything I build comes crumbling down yellow eyes closer, too close.

He acted instinctively, pushing at the air to get that childthingmonster..fa-away from him. Ani lurched backwards like a broken puppet and slammed into the wall with a sickening crack. Luke's eyes widened, but Ani was already on his feet, irritated but unharmed.

"What the krething hell?" the boy shrieked.

"I.. who are you?" Luke's voice sounded croaky and dry to his own ears.

The child looked like he was on his very last nerve. "I'm Ani, you simple-minded imbecille! Perhaps you recognize the fact that I have been here for the last two weeks?!"

"No," Luke said. His voice was stronger this time, but still raspy. He cleared his throat. "No, who are you?"

In here... I have no name.

"Oh, I don't know. Imperial fugitive? Vader's apprentice? What is the current theory?"Ani's eyes narrowed, as though a thought had just struck him. "Not your father? Does any of this sound familiar to your addled brain?"

Not my...

golden irises melting to blue, black helmet in hand - Anakin Skywalker, at your service.

Luke scrambled up, stumbling to the door.

"I need fresh air," he mumbled over Ani's angry protests, sliding the door shut behind him.

Vader was not in a good mood.

It had been two weeks since he'd arrived at the Rebel base. In those two weeks, a myriad of unpleasant things had happened.

The universe at large had gone berserk with the news of his disappearance - alternating between suspicion and elation, the ungrateful karks -

-first, he had been repeatedly interrogated - and always rescued by Luke when things were starting to get violent-

-second, he had found out that he and Luke really were related -although he refused to believe that Luke was his son, his mother had distant relatives didn't she?-

-and now, having been flung to a wall by that forsaken, delusional child, he was sure his head was swelling.

He growled and stomped after the fleeing boy.

This scene was originally supposed to be a few chapters in, but I figure you guys have been waiting too long.

Like? Dislike? Leave a comment.

RnR