A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry I haven't updated for so long. I've been neglecting this chapter for the longest time because I've always struggled coming up with decent fight scenes. I hope this is up to everyone's standards, though. I never thought I'd get back to this, but after re-reading comments and this story itself, I decided that I just couldn't let it go unfinished. (Special thanks to Tiger Priestess, whose recent review inspired me to continue!) I tried to get as much as I could into this chapter to make up for not having updated for so long. Please review! Hearing you guys will really inspire me and keep me going!

Chapter Thirteen: Words Unspoken

As the Sound Three charged at Lee and Sakura, Lee considered his next move: It is now three against two! I cannot let this drag out for long! My only choice is to use the Lotus! But the last time I tried it against the masked guy, his teammate manipulated sound waves to soften the ground…I would not want to waste an attack like that if it will only prove ineffective…

Without wasting a moment, Lee quickly unwrapped the bandages on his arms. Forgive me for using this move…Guy-sensei! But just like that last time, I am protecting the life of someone precious!

Sakura noticed the attack right away. Lee's using that move? Based on the past times he's used it, it's only weakened him. "Lee…" Sakura's voice was barely above a whisper, but before she knew it, Dosu hurled himself at Lee.

"I wouldn't bother attacking with such a reckless move like that! If you think I haven't learned anything from our last battle, you're terribly mistaken!" Dosu declared, throwing a devastating punch at Lee.

Only to wind up swinging at the air.

Darn! I could have sworn my arm connected that time! But even so, he disappeared completely so my sound waves wouldn't be able to reach him… He's too fast! Dosu glanced around frantically, expecting Lee to appear at any moment with a sharp blow to the jaw.

That is, until Dosu realized that Lee wasn't after him at all…as Zaku went flying into the air instead.

Dosu's eyes widened. He was after Zaku the entire time?! This is terrible! Zaku can't break his fall—and there's nothing I can do about it!

While Dosu gritted his teeth in frustration, Lee suddenly appeared behind the now-airborne Zaku, who couldn't hide his surprise. "What the—? Where did you…?" That little sneak! I'm wide open and unable to defend myself! There's nothing I can do now to avoid his next move!

Not wasting any time, Lee wrapped his loose arm bandages around Zaku, and then propelled both of them downward in a violent screwdriver-like motion.

"PRIMARY LOTUS!"

A cloud of dust was kicked into the air, throwing flecks of dirt up at the site of impact. When the dust cleared, Zaku appeared unconscious on the ground.

"Zaku!" Kin exclaimed in terror.

"Oh, no! Zaku!" Dosu cried in equal horror. That…that kid! He planned to attack Zaku all along, knowing that Kin and I wouldn't be able to do anything to save him! He turned to face Lee, who had managed to escape the attack right before Zaku came in contact with the ground.

Yet before either Dosu or Kin could react, a dozen shuriken came flying their way. While Kin quickly dodged the attack, Dosu simply lifted his right arm to his neck, deflecting the shuriken in the process. Glaring at Sakura, he stated in a low voice, "I'm through playing games…little girl!"

Before he could initiate his attack, Kin stood in his way. "I can't let you have all the fun. Let me handle her, Dosu. You can finish off that taijutsu kid."

"Fine," Dosu replied. "But this time, I'll make sure to finish this. The mission can wait. They'll pay for what they did to Zaku." With that said, Dosu intercepted a kick from Lee while Kin tried drawing Sakura away with her senbon needles.

Sakura immediately recognized what she was doing. She's trying to draw me farther away from Lee, knowing that Dosu has the advantage fighting him alone! I have to make this quick so I can help Lee! She performed a series of hand seals and created two clone replicas of herself.

"You think you can beat me with basic techniques like that?" Kin sneered, stopping in mid-run once they were away from the forest clearing and now in a heavily-wooded area. She braced herself for the attack. "Don't get cocky! It'll be a cinch finding the real one among the fakes!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes in determination, focusing chakra to her feet to add an extra push to her step as she propelled herself towards Kin with a punch that she just narrowly managed to dodge. But when the second fist came around and made contact with her face, Kin went flying across the dirt floor.

"Tell me: what's this mission of yours about?" Sakura asked, standing next to her clone copies. "It's about Sasuke, isn't it? What do you want with him?"

Kin pulled herself up to her feet, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "You ask too much questions, little girl," she remarked irritably. "We're just following Lord Orochimaru's orders."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. I knew it had something to do with him! But what is it exactly that he wants with Sasuke? She thought back to the time when they first encountered Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death. "One day, you'll seek me for power" – that's what he said to Sasuke back then, so he probably never meant for the curse mark or even these guys to kill him that day…but then, what does he want?!

Poof! Two senbon needles suddenly pierced through the air and dissipated the clones right next to Sakura, breaking her away from her thoughts.

"I wouldn't worry about Sasuke if I were you," Kin interrupted, her fingers now laced with fresh senbon needles. "…Unless you wanna die, that is."

Sakura scowled, reaching for her shuriken holster and tossing a few at Kin, who countered with her own.

Clang! All five of them canceled the other out until thunk! Sakura turned around and saw a pair of senbon needles embedded into the tree behind her, just grazing her shoulder. At first, she thought Kin had just missed her, but once she caught sight of the bells, she didn't hesitate; whipping out a kunai knife, she sliced through the thin, almost invisible strings that would allow Kin to ring the bells. She then threw a smoke bomb in front of her, taking the opportunity to sneak behind Kin and deliver her a fierce blow to the back.

Only to see a log in its place.

"What?"

Before she had the chance to react, Sakura felt two sharp needles pierce her in her arm, and she staggered back, almost falling on her back. The smoke began to clear and Sakura was greeted by Kin's cold laugh. Sakura could only glare at her. But how did she know?!

"Why look so shocked?" Kin teased. "It really shouldn't be too much of a surprise. You think I didn't come prepared, knowing that you already saw my genjutsu technique against your shadow friend back in the preliminaries? I knew you wouldn't fall for it so easily, so I planned ahead. And that smoke bomb you used? The perfect opportunity for me to form the hand signs needed for the substitution jutsu."

Sakura scowled in spite of herself. So that's why she lured me here! It wasn't so much as to separate me from Lee, but to get me out of the clearing so she can use her jutsu better—

Ring! Ring!

Sakura glanced behind her in horror. Somehow, Kin had managed to get two senbon needles without her noticing. Without thinking, Sakura threw her kunai in the path of needles, slicing through the strings. She averted her gaze back to Kin, but it was too late…

She was already seeing double.

Meanwhile…

Falling into a defensive stance, Rock Lee analyzed his opponent, who stood a few yards before him with his right arm raised, ready to attack. They had already been at it for ten minutes, but Lee could tell that – as much as he hated to admit it – he was already wearing down, especially after having expended so much chakra on the Primary Lotus, a risky move he had only resorted to because the odds were against them. If he hadn't used that move, it would have been 3-on-2 and their chances of winning would have been slim, but now that it was 2-on-2, at least they stood a better chance…even if it left a small handicap.

"I'm surprised you've been able to evade my attacks for so long, but what's the point if you're just prolonging your inevitable defeat?" Dosu challenged. "No matter how hard you try to hide it, I can see that attack you used on Zaku's taken a heavy toll on you. Your speed's slowing down…gradually, but persistently. Pretty soon you won't be able to avoid my sound amplifier anymore." He slowly made his way over to Lee, but Lee remained unfazed.

He is right, Lee thought. The Primary Lotus did take its toll on me. But I cannot risk opening another gate… My speed is slowing; I will have to end it, here and now, before he can land a blow on me. Lee thought back to his previous encounter with Dosu in the Forest of Death. I have seen his attacks before…if he can use that device of his even once on me, it will all be over. I will have to be careful…

Lee lowered his stance and suddenly disappeared from view, reappearing in front of Dosu with a kick to the jaw…

But made contact with his arm instead.

"Hmm. Looks like you've waited too long," Dosu observed, forming a hand sign with his free left arm. "Your speed isn't what it used to be. I can practically see your movements."

Lee's eyes widened in alarm. Oh, no! He is going to—! But before he could get away, Lee felt a sharp, searing pain in his ear. He fell to his knees, clutching his right ear in pain.

"Well, now isn't this a little familiar?" Dosu said, approaching Lee with his arm raised for the final strike. "But I'm afraid you're not going to escape this time. That, I promise you."

Lee looked up to him, but found his vision heavily distorted now that he lost his sense of balance. His whole body shook. Despite all the precautions he took, it happened anyway. Dosu still got to him. All because his speed failed him. No, this cannot happen…not again… I promised myself. I promised Guy-sensei I would get stronger. I promised Sakura we would get through this together… I made a promise…

I am sorry, Guy-sensei, but I have to do this.

"What a pity, but you're going to die here, right here. Right now!" With that, Dosu struck the made the final blow.

But only struck the ground instead.

"What?! How did he—?"

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Dosu was interrupted with a sharp blow to the face, sending him sprawling across the clearing. He struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth in anger as Lee stood before him in his signature stance. "But how did you…? I thought I got to you! I could've sworn my sound waves reached you!"

"You are right about that," Lee reassured him. "Your attack did reach me. But what you do not know is that I managed to open the third gate, the Gate of Rest, just now, which was able to restore my speed and balance. And you are mistaken about another thing: I will be the one putting an end to this."

Dosu let out a chuckle as he pulled himself to his feet. His face was now bruised, but he still managed a laugh. "What is so funny?" Lee demanded.

"So what if you've got a new power-up? Do you really think you can win?" Dosu asked.

Lee had no idea what he was getting at. I have the upper hand now. How can he still be laughing? How is he still so confident? "What are you saying?"

"The pink-haired kunoichi…" Dosu began. "She's still not back yet, and it's been a while now, hasn't it? Kin must have finished her off by now…"

Lee felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He had assumed that Sakura would have been able to handle the other kunoichi on her own, but Dosu was right; it has been a while, and Sakura was still not back yet. Lee could feel a sense of panic rising in his throat, and he had to force himself to maintain his composure. Surely, Dosu was just playing mind games with him. "No, Sakura will be alright," he replied sternly, more of an effort to reassure himself more than anything else. "I know it."

"Oh, really?"

As if on cue, Lee suddenly heard a piercing scream in the distance. That sounded like…!

Lee turned towards the direction of the voice, which carried his eyes to the forest, but he couldn't make out anything. Sakura was out of sight. Worry began to overtake him, overwhelming him, consuming his entire being. "Sakura…!"

His mind elsewhere, Lee had no chance to react as Dosu suddenly appeared behind him. "It's unbecoming of a shinobi to turn his back on his opponent."

Lee froze, his eyes widening in pure shock, a blend of horror and surprise.

But it was too late.

Caught in Kin's genjutsu, Sakura could feel a sense of fear overcoming her. Somehow, she'd managed to get caught after all.

"Give it up!" Kin jeered. "I've got you now! There's nothing you can do to escape my genjutsu. No cheap trick will save you this time!"

Kin threw more senbon needles in Sakura's direction, and this time, the genjutsu kept Sakura from effectively dodging any of them. All she could see were multiple Kin clones throwing senbon at her from all directions as she felt sharp needles pierce her arm. I can't! I can't give up now! Sakura told herself, yanking the now-bloody needles from her body. There's just no way I can lose! Lee's depending on me! I can do this, all by myself! I don't need anyone to protect me! This is just genjutsu, right? It's all an illusion.

"It's just an illusion," Sakura repeated to herself, with a new resolve flashing in her eyes. She was now panting from exhaustion, but refused to falter. She closed her eyes, forming the sign of the tiger and focusing her chakra.

"Telling yourself it's an illusion won't help you," Kin told her scornfully, but caught sight of the hand sign. Sign of the tiger, huh? What is she up to? "…I don't know what you're trying to do, but I won't let you!"

She threw more senbon needles in Sakura's direction. The needles were mere inches from Sakura's face before she opened her eyes and shouted, "Release!"

The genjutsu hallucination disappeared immediately, and instead of seeing multiple Kin clones throwing senbon needles at her in all directions, Sakura was clearly able to see and pinpoint the set of needles coming straight at her, effectively dodging them at the last second.

"What?! How did you—?"

Without wasting any time, Sakura reached for her waist pack and hurled a kunai at Kin, who was able to dodge the knife as it struck a tree instead.

"Nice try, little girl, but you're gonna have to do better than that!" Kin exclaimed fiercely.

Sakura could only smirk, and as Kin glanced behind her at the kunai knife, she was greeted by an explosion that sent her back with such a force that she collided into a tree, falling face-first into the dirt. She struggled to get up, but didn't have any strength left. "H-How? How did you break free from my genjutsu? Only higher-level shinobi with good chakra control are able to perform Release!" she choked, straining to lift her head enough to face Sakura, who now stood before her bruised and bleeding, but still able to wear a triumphant smile.

"You…underestimated me," Sakura replied through pants. "I'm not the same kunoichi you met in the Forest of Death back in the second stage of the Chunin Exams…I don't need someone else to protect me anymore."

Kin kept her gaze on her, glaring the whole time through gritted teeth until she was now longer able to maintain consciousness. Her head fell to the ground with a gentle thud, her strained muscles no longer able to support her.

Staring for a moment at her fallen enemy, Sakura finally allowed herself to fall to her knees once she was sure Kin was unconscious.

"I did it," she whispered to herself, smiling a little. "I did it! I DID IT! All by myself, I did it!" She was practically now shouting at the top of her lungs and if she wasn't as physically exhausted as she was, she could have sworn she would've been jumping with joy at the moment. For once, she had been able to single-handedly defeat her own opponent without help from anyone: from Naruto, from Sasuke, from Lee…no one. She had fought her own battle. And won. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

But ironically, the best feelings aren't meant to last forever.

"You did what?"

Sakura froze. That cool, cold, menacing voice that came from behind her. The looming figure casting its shadow before her.

"I'm surprised you were able to defeat Kin. Perhaps I underestimated you…but it appears you've expended all your energy…"

Dosu. Does that mean Lee was unable to…? Sakura could feel an all-to-familiar sense of fear overwhelm her, and she turned around just then to see his raised fist, poised to strike her with a devastating finishing blow. She could only look on in horror. She knew she couldn't do anything to stop him – not in her current state. Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

Waiting…

Waiting…

But nothing came.

Am I dead? …No, I didn't feel anything. So am I alive then? She mustered up her courage and forced her eyes open. Slowly. And what she saw – who she saw – took her breath away. A gasp escaped her throat. Is this true, what she saw? How could it be?

How was it possible that Sasuke was standing right in front of her, blocking Dosu's attack with one arm?

How was it possible that Sasuke was there before her, protecting her from harm?

I must be dead, Sakura thought breathlessly. This is all a dream. It has to be. This is nothing more than a dream…

But no, it wasn't a dream. It couldn't be. It was true – this really was Sasuke standing in front of her. Sure, the stance was different, the clothes were different, but it was still him – Sakura could've sworn it was still him. Sasuke. The one who shunned her, despised her only three days ago. The one who took her for granted, dismissed her completely, and grew annoyed at her mere presence. The one who drove her crazy, got on her nerves – the one she hated with every fiber of her being…

The one she loved with all her heart.

"Sasuke…you…" Sakura began quietly. "Why did you…?" She had to know, and yet she couldn't even get the words out of her mouth.

Sakura knew he heard her, with the way he hesitated like that. Even though he didn't say anything.

Her eyelids started to go heavy and her body grew weak, but she ignored it. The battle with Kin had apparently taken more out of her than she'd thought. "There's…so much I want to say to you…" she whispered faintly.

"Sasuke…"

She saw a flash of blue light, heard the call of a thousand birds.

And fell asleep to the warm darkness that greeted her.

A/N: So how was that? Dang, that took me like 5 hours to write – all in one go!This was the longest and most difficult chapter for me to write; I hope you're all satisfied with it. I'll admit the fight scene might've left some characters a little OOC, but I tried my best to make it reasonable and fair (and Sakura and Kin both have limited abilities!). The last part of this chapter, though, was my favorite. I hope you loved it as much as I did. Comments will be greatly appreciated!

Btw, in case you haven't guessed, the next chapter will be the final chapter in this 14-chapter installment. Now that I've got the fight scene out of the way, it shouldn't take me as long to update! I already know what I'm going to write, so it should be up soon. Be prepared for the final SasuSaku confrontation!