Hey! Sorry for the wait. I got . . . erm . . . distracted . . . And I had writers block.

So, anywho, enjoy this next chapter!

"Hey guys, guess what. I'm starting to get feeling back in my hand."

Everyone glared at Lavi as they tried to catch their breath.

Things would have gone a lot smoother if Lavi had been able to get everyone on the hammer-end, extend the handle, and use the hammer basically as an elevator, as he said. But, as soon as he got their hopes up that this would be easy, he realized that he would need to grasp the handle, something he couldn't do if he couldn't feel his hands.

Since he could command it by his voice, though, Lavi extended the handle to where it went inside the Ark doorway, so everyone else could climb it and he would ride up with one person at the end.

Gibbs had gone first, followed by Tony, McGee, then Ziva, all of which slipped at one point. Tony almost fell off completely, and would have, if Gibbs hadn't been there to grab him. Abby rode up with Lavi.

Everyone stood, Tony's knees still shaking slightly from his almost-catastrophe.

"So what now?" Abby asked the question that was on everyone's mind. They were all looking at Lavi, but now out of curiosity as opposed to annoyance.

"I may be getting feeling back," Lavi said, looking down at his hands. "But I don't know when—or even if—they'll be up to par if we go after that Akuma. And we have to get Allen back, and soon."

"So basically, we're corked?" Ziva asked, stepping forward. Lavi tilted his head in confusion.

"She means screwed," Tony said, squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"No," Lavi said, replying to Ziva's question. "There are people at the Black Order who can help. But we have to hurry."

"How do we get to this Black Order?" Ziva stepped forward as she spoke.

"It's right around the corner, actually." Lavi turned to face the direction he and Allen had come from when they first got into the Ark. He jogged a few steps before realizing he heard no one behind him, and turned to see that they were staring at him in disbelief.

DiNozzo was closest to Lavi, blocking the way for the rest of the team. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Tony, come on! Let us through," Abby said, trying to get by him. "He helped us earlier, remember?"

"If there's anything being a cop and working at NCIS has taught me, it's to not be too trusting."

"Look," Lavi said, stepping toward Tony, his tone not as pleasant as it had been a minute before. "This is a fine time to tell me you don't trust me. Believe me, I live the phrase 'keep your friends close and enemies closer.' But my friend is in danger, and my focus is on getting him back.

"If you're scared, just say so and I can boot your ass out that door and you can go back to being an NCIS agent in you own time. But right now I need help, not distrust." Lavi closed his eye as he sighed. Okay, he didn't mean to get that mad, but this guy started questioning him at the worst possible moment.

He opened his eye again to see Tony staring at him, surprised. Like he was surprised a kid half his age would snap at him. Lavi turned again, walking toward the entrance with the "HQ" sign above it. As he walked he heard a slapping sound and a subsequent surprised gasp.

Hang on, Allen, Lavi thought as he stopped by the entrance to HQ and waited for everyone else. I'll get some help, then we're coming to find you.

Allen was starting to get feeling back in his eyes. He still couldn't see anything but that bright purple light, but he could blink now. Not that it did any good.

He could still feel his head, since it was above where the Akuma had numbed his neck. He could hear each footstep the it took, and could feel his head hurting, but that was about it.

As the Akuma had said, the Innocence was within his body, not just his arm. And he could feel that the fragments in his brain, like him, were anxious to get moving again.

Come on! He hated feeling so useless. He couldn't move, couldn't see, breathing hurt. Why was he breathing, anyways? Wasn't that part of his body paralyzed? It hurt to think. Must've been from the light that he couldn't stop seeing. Or was it from being carried this way? Too much to think about.

With any luck, Lavi would be able to get help soon. Until he got out of this, Allen wouldn't stop trying to figure a way out.

"Coast's clear," Lavi said as he pulled his head out of the white entrance. "But be very quiet. And follow me."

He gently stepped through the doorway. Abby was first to follow, she looked at everyone else, smiling that Tony was at the end of their single-file line.

Abby couldn't believe what she saw when she walked through the doorway. She honestly didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this.

The décor was dark, mostly black. There was debris on the floor, and a knocked over "Welcome Home" banner in front of the staircase they were on.

They took the staircase very slowly, careful not to make the slightest noise. Abby knew the reason they were sneaking around even without Lavi saying it: they were from a different time, different place, and they didn't belong here. Abby had no idea what would happen if they did get caught, but she didn't think it would be good.

Abby sighed in relief when DiNozzo made it to the bottom of the staircase and they were still in the clear. Lavi led them around a corner, and they all, including Lavi, sighed heavily. They made it inside. The NCIS team broke formation, so to speak, and formed a circle of sorts around Lavi, waiting to hear what to do next.

Lavi sighed again. "I need to find Lenalee . . . She's been inside the Ark and helped Allen defeat a Level 4, so she's our best bet."

"Where can we find her?"

"Probably either in Komui's office or her room . . ."

"Lavi?"

His eye went wide as a girl's voice said his name. The team quickly reformed the line behind Lavi on the opposite from where the voice was coming from, as if she would see Lavi and not the group of people standing around him.

"Ah, L-Lenalee!"

Abby poked her head out just enough to see who Lavi was talking to. The girl had dark green hair and purple eyes, and was wearing a long-sleeve black jacket—similar to Lavi and Allen's'—as well as a red skirt, white socks that went up to her mid-thigh, and red shoes and anklets.

"Who is that you're hiding?"

"Did you find him, Lenalee?" Another voice, this time male, came from the corner next to where Lenalee was standing. The man who emerged also had dark hair and glasses, and was wearing a white beret, white jacket with a black cross-symbol on the shoulder, and white clothes underneath. "You know we've been trying to find you all day? Where've you been?"

The man leaned forward slightly, adjusting his glasses as he walked closer to Lavi, followed by Lenalee. "Who are these people?"

"I'll explain later, Komui. But right now we have to find Allen!"

"I thought he was with you," Lenalee said, coming to . . . Komui's? . . .side.

"He was. But an Akuma nabbed him and they're in the Ark. I would have gone after him myself, but the Akuma paralyzed my hands, so I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"What kind is it?"

"Level 3."

"Why couldn't Allen destroy it?"

"Because it blinded him then paralyzed his whole body." Lavi looked down at his hands which were twitching now, and moved the fingers slightly. "If I'm just now able to move my hands again, then Allen may be getting vision back." He looked at Komui again. "We have to hurry, though. I don't know how far the doorway the Akuma is taking him to is."

"Do you think we need to get Kanda?"

Lavi sighed. "We need time! But we also need all the help we can get. If Yu's close, let's find him. Otherwise—"

"What was that, Stupid Rabbit?" Before Abby could turn to see who was yelling, a man with dark blue hair appeared behind Lavi, holding a sword to his neck.

"Yu!"

"Don't call me that! Unless you want to lose your head!"

"Allen's in trouble! We need to find him!" Lavi seemed to completely ignore the man's rage.

"Che." The man lowered his sword to his side. "What makes you think I give a damn about that stupid moyashi?"

"Please, Kanda?" He looked at Lenalee and her pleading voice and face, and Abby could swear she saw his murderous gaze soften to annoyance. He put the sword in its sheath on his belt.

"Fine," he muttered, almost under his breath. He started walking back towards the Ark. He stopped after a few steps when no one followed. "Coming?" He still sounded annoyed.

Lavi, Komui, and Lenalee smiled, while the NCIS team didn't know what to do. They followed Lavi and Kanda to the Ark.

Once everyone was inside, Lavi turned to face the whole group.

"I don't know which way they went, so we're gonna have to split up." He looked back and forth over the group. "Why don't we have . . . Abby, Ziva, and myself go with Lenalee, and Komui, Gibbs, McGee and DiNozzo will go with Kanda.

"Che, why do I get stuck with the Sister Complex?" Kanda closed his eyes as he spoke.

"That's not nice, Kanda," Komui said with a pouty face.

"And I think it's best to not separate Ziva from her translator," McGee said, and Abby couldn't help but smile.

"Hhmm . . . good point." Lavi looked over the crowd again. "Okay. Ziva, DiNozzo, Abby, and Komui go with Lenalee. Gibbs, McGee, and I will go with Y—Kanda."

The groups now decided, they went to look for Allen.

Sorry for the short chapter. Like I said, I had writer's block, and still kinda do for the next chapter . . .

So, yeah! As always, reviews are much appreciated!