And here we discover the outcome of Haku's fight with Gaara...

DundunnunUN!

Promises Not Made are Promises Never Kept

Chapter Nineteen – Parasol

The beginning of the match was announced, and sand immediately poured out of Gaara's gourd, surrounding him in dust and grit. Haku, in response, simply took a hand to his belt as Moira sailed off-

-and unhooked a red and white-striped parasol, opening it and resting it on his shoulder, twirling it a little with a smile as his face was thrown in shadow.

"Huh?" Naruto asked incredulously as Sasuke and Inaré smiled proudly. "Doesn't he know that's bad luck?"

"Umbrellas are bad luck, Naruto," Sasuke corrected. "That's a parasol."

Naruto pouted.

"There's a difference?"

Sasuke laughed.

"Sure," he replied, even though there really wasn't. "Umbrellas protect you from the rain. Parasols protect you from the sun."

Naruto blinked in confusion, cocking his head.

"But there's no sun in here," he argued childishly. Sasuke laughed at him.

"Just watch, you dummy," he told the blonde fondly. Continuing to pout, Naruto obeyed and turned back to the match.

Immediately, sand lashed out for Haku, and the teen leaped up into the air, stretching the parasol high above his head. As the sand reached up for him, Haku danced upon the crests of the waves of earth like he was floating, twirling out of reach of the sand as the parasol seemed to hold up much more weight than it should have. He was weightless as the sand attacked him, constantly out of its reach and slowly making his way to the other side of the arena, behind Gaara with a serene smile on his face.

"Coooooool…" Naruto breathed in amazement.

Leaping off one crest of sand, Haku whirled in midair, pointing the tip of the open parasol at Gaara and spinning the object in his hand.

As it spun, needles shot out the edges of the object, whistling through the air as they launched themselves upon Gaara.

Immediately, the sand at Gaara's feet rose, absorbing the needles before they made contact and vindictively shooting them back at the water ninja.

Haku, still in the air, shrank behind his parasol, hiding behind it completely as the needles struck the object, harmlessly clanking against it and falling to innocently clatter against the arena floor.

When the assault finished, Haku reappeared, spiraling down to the earth with the weight of a feather.

Interesting. He thought as the sand gathered around its master, almost pulsating. Gaara hadn't even moved an inch. The sand protected him. Almost like it has a life of its own. He hasn't even moved to pretend that he controls it. He just lets the sand do all his fighting for him.

His eyes narrowed as he landed softly, the only sign of any possible annoyance on his otherwise serene face.

It's almost like cheating.

As soon as he landed, the sand hunted for him again, and Haku closed his parasol with a snap, pointing it at the mass as it went for him and bracing himself.

The parasol split the mass in two, cutting it down the middle as it pooled around Haku's feet, rising into the air around him.

Of course, that meant almost the entirety of the sand was focused on Haku, and almost none was at Gaara's side. There was enough distance between the two for the balance of power to be obvious.

As the sand crashed down from above, Haku vanished with a thought.

Reappearing in front of Gaara – putting the most distance he could between the attack and the sand – he held a ridiculously large senbon needle in hand and thrust it upwards towards Gaara's chest; the closest target that he could manage at the angle. He didn't know how fast the sand's reaction time was-

Gaara looked down, saw the needle, and his eyes even had a chance to widen before the sand was there to block the blow, absorbing the needle into itself and firing it back out at Haku.

Barely, Haku managed to dodge his own weapon, skidding backwards with one hand lightly gracing the floor.

I was close. He thought. Just not close enough. There is no thought behind the sand's actions. If I strike, it has to be to kill. No other attack is going to faze him. My parasol isn't going to work.

"Is it just me, or is that some seriously overpowered sand?" Inaré asked as she observed the match. Sasuke was quiet as he watched with intent. Discomfortingly quiet. She looked at her partner worriedly. "Sasuke?"

Speeding along the ground, the sand raced to Haku as he fiddled at his belt, opening up a small sack of water and reattaching his parasol.

As the sand reached out to attack him, Haku thrust forward with a palm, water that he summoned with it giving his hand enough force to slice completely through the sand, the material the water touched hitting the ground with a liquid thud, turning into useless mud. Haku smiled pleasantly.

Perfect.

In a flicker of water vapor, Haku vanished and reappeared at Gaara's side, slashing forward with a water-lined thrust of the same power.

Sand rose to meet it and Haku sliced it apart as it absorbed the blow. With his other hand, Haku took more water from the pouch and thrust forward with it again-

This time, when the sand reappeared around Gaara, it hardened into earth, and Haku's attack merely cracked the surface. Haku repeated the motion-

Spikes erupted out of the sand shield that Gaara created, one narrowly missing both Haku's temple and vital organs. Gasping, Haku leaped away, and he could feel his upper arm bleeding beneath his sleeve where a spike had managed to heartily pierce it. Quietly, he looked down at the sand at his feet, which hadn't moved after it had mixed with the water.

Interesting. Haku thought, kneeling down to rub the mixture in between his fingers. This sand isn't like the sand of the ocean. That sand separates from water, settles back down to the bottom. This sand must be earthier. At least, earthier enough to make mud. Raising his eyes, he looked at the earthy dome. Once it mixes with water, he lacks the strength to call it back because then, it's no longer sand. But… he glanced up at Sasuke. I don't have enough water to change it all.

Sasuke, who had been silently watching the entire match, caught the glance and nodded, and then lifted his eyes to lock gazes with Kakashi.

Not seeming to acknowledge the message, Kakashi looked over at his last remaining student, Sai, who was angrily drinking a bottle of water and glaring across the arena to where the rest of his teammates were. Kakashi, chuckling, pushed himself off the wall.

"Don't worry, Sai." He gave Sai a hearty clap on the back. "They'll remember you exist eventually."

The force was great enough to make Sai flinch; dropping the half-full bottle of water, which then fell to the arena floor. Sai turned to glare at his teacher, and Haku smiled in grateful disbelief. Kakashi shrugged at Sai's glare.

"My bad," he replied nonchalantly, lifting his gaze back up to Sasuke and raising his single eyebrow a couple of times at him after Sai looked away. Sasuke, chortling, turned his head to giggle into Inaré's shoulder. Haku mentally shrugged.

Well, every little bit helps.

He dashed forward, taking the remaining water out of the sack and pooling it in his hand as he passed the puddle Sai's bottle had made, reaching down and pulling it to him as he ran, then circling around and dashing for the shield.

Just as he neared, the shield lowered and the sand withdrew, curling upwards like flower petals and revealing the bright red hair of the back of Gaara's head - circling it like a halo for the target that it was.

No other strike will count.

Silently, amassing all the water he had into his right palm, Haku placed a needle into the water and leaped into the air, sailing through the opening the sand had created directly towards Gaara.

It has to be to kill!

Gaara, as if on instinct, turned and looked up.

Now!

His eyes widened.

Haku sliced through the sand that rose to meet him as if it were butter, the needle and its halo of water bursting through Gaara's defense.

Gaara moved to the side to dodge the blow, the needle slicing him neatly across his right temple.

He roared, and at his rage the sand slammed upwards into Haku's chest, making Inaré cry out as her teammate was lifted into the air by the ankle and thrown across the room like a rag doll, sailing towards the opposite wall. Sasuke immediately tensed up, his fingers gripping the railing so hard his knuckles went white.

Haku, grimacing as he flew, instinctively went to his belt and opened his parasol, which caught him midair and allowed him to float harmlessly down to the ground as he gasped. Well, harmlessly enough.

The teen tried to straighten, found that he couldn't without considerable pain, and realized he must've broken a significant amount of his ribcage – maybe even punctured a lung. The sand had not been gentle with its retaliation, and he could see the anger it carried as it rolled and churned around its master, who was shaking in what seemed to be absolute rage.

"Oh dear…" Temari breathed. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

"Did I see that right, Temari?" Kankuro asked. "Did he… did he really make Gaara bleed?"

Gaara raised his head, an angry sneer contorting his face as blood poured from his temple, covering the right side of his face.

Well, at least that got his expression to change. Haku thought dryly. Oh dear. It's become rather difficult to breathe.

"No one… has ever…" Gaara gasped, unable to properly speak without pausing every few moments. "…caused me pain…" He raised his eyes to lock gazes with Haku, and Haku swallowed in shock as he locked eyes with something not quite human. "Congratulations, human."

But like a demon.

Like-

Sasuke blinked.

Human?

Gaara let out another angry cry.

"BUT NOW YOU DIE!"

The sand, as one great monster, rose upwards as a single mighty wave, towering over Haku and rising towards the ceiling. Haku gazed upwards at it in awe, and realized that even more sand was pouring out from the gourd – the weapon, the shield, the devil – and filling the entire room. There wasn't enough water in a five-mile radius to neutralize that creature of hell. Haku's eyes narrowed, and he lifted the last hand he had and closed his eyes-

I have to disappear-

Then he opened his eyes and gasped, stopping himself just in time as the sand crashed downwards. He looked to Sasuke, his expression torn between saving himself and saving Sasuke's life. Haku smiled softly at his partner, and lowered his hand.

I can't.

Sasuke seemed to realize it at the same exact time Haku did. He reached down and snatched Inaré's hand in his, and he silently told her the same thing. As one, they jumped onto the railing and leaped down towards Haku.

"Haku!"

"Moira!"

A shrill screech of a bird filled the air, and as the sand fell like a river of doom a bright light erupted from around Haku, the sand almost burning away as a mighty shield of Chakra in the form of a bird's wings burst through its body, the force of the attack-turned-defense taking up quite literally half the room as the cry intensified to a level where it was powerful enough to shatter glass. Everyone in the room had to cover their ears as the exchange of powers peaked.

A few moments passed and the light faded, the sand withdrawing backwards to linger at Gaara's side as he watched, eyes twitching. The light faded to reveal that Sasuke and Inaré had come to Haku's aid, Haku's bird nestled in the palm of Sasuke's hand, his wings open towards Gaara. Inaré had Haku in her arms, and Sasuke was between them and Gaara, braced to withstand Moira's power.

In the silence, Moira fell from Sasuke's palm, fluttering back up into the air and tweeting faintly as Inaré gathered Haku up in her arms.

"You could've done it," Sasuke breathed, turning to look at his teammate. "You could've saved yourself. Why didn't you?"

Haku, leaning heavily on Inaré, merely smiled at him.

"I couldn't, Sasuke," he replied simply. "I promised you."

Biting his lip, Sasuke turned away to lock eyes with Gaara, and he felt rage rise within his breast as he absorbed the fury-filled gaze the redhead had.

This is my fault. Dammit!

"Because others intervened in the match on Haku's behalf, the match win goes to Gaara!"

"I'm not finished yet…" Gaara growled, the sand rumbling around him. His fists clenched at his side. "Do you hear me?!" He threw his head upwards, crying out. "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!"

The sand launched itself forward towards the team of water again as Temari and Kankuro leaped forward to try to contain their teammate. Sasuke stared at Gaara before glancing up at Naruto.

Human…

He looked back to Gaara, the sand splitting into two groups and going after Haku from both sides.

I just got an idea.

Sasuke leaped forward, dashing in between the two attacks of sand as Zabuza appeared with Haku and Inaré and summoned a massive bubble around them, drowning the sand as it hit the barrier. The two teenagers were in good hands. Kakashi knew that as he watched his ex-student sprint directly for Gaara as Temari and Kankuro landed in the arena and dashed for him as well from the opposite side.

Still. He couldn't help but fight the need to jump down and help. Sasuke was his student. He was the one that babysat him, changed his diaper, read him books, soothed him when he was crying and alone-

Stop, Kakashi. He told himself, closing his eyes. Stop. He's not a child anymore.

As Sasuke neared, he leaped up into the air, sailing for the redhead. Sand jumped to Gaara's defense, and Sasuke – Chakra sizzling up and down his arm – punched through it mightily, opening up his palm to clap it against Gaara's forehead, his fingers settling into the other's hair.

As one, they fell to the ground, tumbling towards Temari and Kankuro in a flurry of sand and Chakra, Gaara's gourd rolling away to the far wall.

Finally, they settled, Gaara on his back and Sasuke straddling him, his palm still on the redhead's forehead as they both gasped.

"Get off him!" Temari exclaimed, taking her closed fan and sending it directly into Sasuke's torso, knocking him off her teammate with a grunt. As Kankuro and Temari kneeled next to Gaara, he opened his eyes.

They were calm, strangely calm. And the cut at his temple had stopped bleeding.

"Kankuro," he stated expressionlessly, acknowledging them each in turn. "Temari."

"What the hell?" Kankuro asked incredulously as he sat up, the sand floating his gourd back over to him. "You're back to normal?"

Gaara looked at him, scowled.

"Shut up," he stated simply as he stood. Sasuke, grunting, rolled over onto his side as Zabuza appeared next to him, kneeling.

"You okay brat?" He asked. Sasuke opened his eyes, the orbs completely and chillingly expressionless for a moment before life reappeared within and all was well again. Wincing, he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Yeah," he replied, taking Zabuza's offered hand and his teacher helped him up. "Is Haku going to be okay?" He looked over to see that Haku already being taken away by the medics, and his immediate instinct was to follow, but Zabuza caught him by the shoulder.

"You have to stay here," the man reminded him. "You have an exam to finish."

Sasuke knew he was right, and sighed. Inaré, still standing where she and Sasuke had protected Haku, looked down and frowned. Kneeling, she picked something off the ground.

Haku's parasol, a little dirty, but looked relatively unharmed otherwise. Inaré sighed, looking over at Sasuke and making eye contact with him.

"We'll avenge him, Sasuke," she breathed, knowing what he was thinking. "He'll be okay." She looked down at the object in her hands. "At least, his parasol will be."

End Chapter Nineteen – Parasol

OH NO! *gasp*

I love that you all rooted for Haku, and I'm sorry to disappoint you. But this was the more realistic of the two outcomes.

Review? I love you. :3

DDB