Title: Death and Darkness
Author: Deja Vu
Summary: A dark fic where Luke helps Vader learn the distinction between Death and Darkness. Warning: deathfic.
Rating: No language, some violence.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, but this story is mine.
Author's Thanks: Thanks to Moy for always being there!
Author's Notes: This fic was written for Moy, who has this strange obsession with characters dying.
Characters: Luke and Vader.

He was steeped in Darkness.

He had not been born in Darkness, but he could no longer remember what it was like to live in Light.

He could no longer remember a lot of things. The feel of wind on his face and the sound of unfiltered laughter—these things were alien to him. All that filled his mind was Darkness...and Death.

Death was the enemy he fought against and the ally he treasured. Death was the one that brought him respite and pain. Death was the dream he awoke to and the nightmare he went to sleep with.

He couldn't remember what Life had been like before Death had come; Death was simply the constant rival he tried constantly to engorge instead of defeat. He felt like it had always been that way, and he no longer thought twice when it came to choices of Death and Life.

But when he heard the name of the Rebel who had destroyed the Death Star, he actually felt a sense of hesitation, the likes of which he had not experienced in a long time.

Skywalker.

The Rebel's name was Skywalker.

The name threatened to return Vader's Life, to dismiss Death. Anakin Skywalker had met Death, Vader was certain, but somehow the name Skywalker still called forth memories once lost. Had he really been that man once?

He didn't know why, but he needed to find Skywalker.

The Darkness whispered to him, Seize him. Take him. Make him yours.

But Death, strangely at odds with the Darkness, whispered, He is a threat. Kill him.

He needed to find Skywalker.

Vader's son came to him at Bespin, as his master had known he would.

The Force swirled around the boy like a tornado. His Light shone bright, but Vader was well-acquainted with Darkness, and he could sense the boy's fear and anger. He was not yet a Jedi.

The boy was strong, however, even though he was not yet a Jedi; Vader knew he had learned a lot in a short amount of time. He also knew that their destinies were intertwined. Obi-Wan must have realized it, too.

He dueled with Skywalker, Darkness encompassing him as he tested his son's skills and goaded him. The boy tried to hold to the Light, but his grip was slippery, his anger and fear too strong. He possessed attachments, as Anakin Skywalker once had. He thirsted for Life and Love.

Vader no longer knew Life or Love. He knew only Death and Darkness.

It wasn't long before he attempted to carbon-freeze the boy, feeling disappointed at the boy's skills. But the boy surprised him and evaded his trap. He felt a glimmer of pride that was soon overtaken by confusion. Though this boy was his blood, he was not Vader's ally. Vader's only allies were Death and Darkness. Neither allowed a permanent ally. Not even his master was a permanent ally.

Still, Vader tried to antagonize his son, tried to bring him towards the Darkness. The boy tried to control his anger, but Vader knew it was still there. Anger was a part of Darkness, and Darkness existed everywhere.

As the boy's skilled assault increased, forcing Vader backwards, the Sith Lord felt his anger grow. The son was not to defeat the father; Vader would not allow it.

The Dark Lord switched from defense to offense, forcing his son backwards. With the Force, he ripped machinery parts from the ceiling and from the walls, flinging them at his son. Skywalker backed up and tried desperately to block the parts, but there were too many for him to deal with. A jagged edge left a gash in his cheek; a hose left him with a bloody nose. Still, Vader continued assaulting his son with the aid of the Force.

As if believing he would have a greater chance in a lightsaber duel than a struggle with flying objects, the boy moved swiftly forward with his saber. But Vader, grasping at the Dark Side, saw a flaw in his son's swordsmanship and struck.

The boy cried out as his right hand was severed. In pain, the boy backed away from Vader, only to fall into the carbon freeze chamber that Vader had failed to trap him in minutes before. Lying on the floor and clenching his right arm to his chest, the youth looked up at Vader.

The Sith Lord pointed his red saber down at his son. "You are trapped, Skywalker; you cannot escape. You may join me or die."

The boy's face contorted in pain and anger and frustration, and he shouted, "I would rather die than join you!"

"The Dark Side is strong," Vader told his son slowly. "It killed Anakin Skywalker and replaced him with Darth Vader."

"What?" the boy whispered in confusion. Vader could sense his fear and dread swirling in the room.

"Obi-Wan lied to you. He never told you that your father found refuge in Darkness. The Skywalkers belong in Darkness; we always will."

"No!" shouted the youth, defiant tears shining in his eyes. "You—you can't be my father."

"The Force does not lie."

Skywalker trembled, and Vader could sense him reach out to the Light Side for answers. "No," whispered the boy disbelievingly after a few moments. "No..."

"Hold on to your anger, Son. Only the Darkness can save you now."

But the boy shook his head slowly. "You're wrong," he said in a low voice. Vader could feel the despair rolling off him in waves. "The Darkness cannot save me. You and the Emperor cannot save me...Only Death can save me."

Before Vader could move forward, the boy took his saber and lit it, plunging it into his heart. As Skywalker's grip on the saber slackened, the blade disappeared, and the handle fell to the floor. Vader stared at the gaping, cauterized hole in his son's chest.

He called the boy's saber to him with the Force and hooked it to his belt. Then he turned to leave.

He was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. He might have been steeped in Darkness, but he was the servant of Death.

Death was his companion, while Darkness was his state of being. He needed to remember the distinction, lest he attempt to resurrect the Life of Skywalker once again.

It was a pity about the boy.