A/N: Just a little story I wrote for a writing contest on another site. Hope you enjoy and reviews are always welcome!

Running

Darth Vader was in an especially dark mood today. This morning he'd had a bout of mercy (Force knew where that had come from, he certainly didn't feel merciful right now), sparing a man's life. Of course his Master had had to punish him accordingly, and his Master's punishments weren't pleasant. Especially since the destruction of the Death Star, which he'd somehow blamed on him, never mind that he'd at last gotten rid if that pest, Kenobi.

Thus his black mood as he stomped back to his quarters, not even noticing the wide berth everyone gave him. Every imperial knew that it would be suicide to mess with Lord Vader when he was in one of his moods.

Only when he was finally alone in his much treasured oxygen-chamber, able to breathe freely on his own, without that damned mask, he allowed himself to relax a little. No day passed on which he didn't curse the mask and suit, for all they kept him alive. Sometimes, in the darkest hour of the night, when he was unable to sleep, haunted by horrid nightmares, he even admitted to himself, in the far corner of his being that still echoed of Anakin Skywalker's soul that he really was no more than a dying body and soul imprisoned in a dark cell, running from the truth and following his jailors every order. Of course these thoughts never lasted until the morning or he would probably be dead by now. Sidious didn't tolerate such thoughts.

He concentrated on his breathing, the quiet rush of oxygen into his lungs, enjoying the absence of the harsh sound that normally accompanied it.

Still brooding, Anakin? You always were good at doing that.

Vader startled, looking around frantically, but there was nothing to see. He knew that voice, maybe even better than his own, despite all his efforts to forget it.

"You're dead!" he gasped.

A very astute observation.

There as no mistaking the chuckle and underlying humor in the statement, but Vader was still too shocked to feel angry at the quip.

"But…but how can you be here?!"

Well, that's an interesting question…Let's just say that you don't know everything about the Force, Anakin.

At last his anger started to boil, anger at Obi-Wan for haunting him even in death and anger at himself for listening to him.

"My name is Vader! I'm not 'your Anakin' anymore, haven't been in a long time!" he snapped, but Obi-Wan's answer was only gentle.

I know the past hurts, Anakin. But can you not see that it teaches us also? Don't you think everything happened for a reason? You can't escape the past, nor what you're meant to be.

"I AM what I am meant to be! I'm more powerful than any Jedi! I have achieved everything I wanted!" he shouted, rage flowing of him in waves of dark energy.

But at what cost, Anakin?

Such a simple question, yet such a complicated answer. Unbidden a picture of his beautiful angel rose in his mind, accompanied by a rush of bittersweet memories, but he ruthlessly pushed it aside and hissed, "What would you know about that?!"

No reply cam forth, only a last haunting whisper so full of grief that it almost seemed tangible.

Will you always be running Anakin?

END