Please enjoy.

OoOoOo

"Ugh!" exclaimed Diamond, frustrated. She tightened her grip on Ish's hand. "This is pointless! We're going around in circles!" They had been wandering around for what seemed like hours. It was pitch black and their NFL-Rs were running out of power, making it harder for Ish to direct them. "At this rate, we'll never find the others or our families."

Ish smirked. "Diamond, I know that you're scared, but please try to calm down," he teased her in an effort to ease her nerves.

Diamond glared at him. "I am not scared," she insisted. She sighed. "Just worried. How are we going to get out of this one, Taylor?" She grew frantic. "I got my Shield Coin because of dumb luck. What if I'm not as lucky this time?" Why did she agree to this again? Being a Guardian is stressful. "How are we going to save ourselves, let alone our respective family members?" She was worried, tired, and starting to feel sick.

"Diamond?"

"My aunt could die thinking I hate her!" Diamond exclaimed as if she hadn't heard him.

"Diamond."

Diamond blushed under her helmet. "And I don't!" she confessed. "I dislike her, but I don't completely hate her!"

"Diamond!" Ish shouted as he grabbed her shoulders, finally gaining her attention. "You need to calm down. You're not doing either of us any good by freaking out. Just breathe. If we don't believe we can get through this then we don't stand a chance."

Diamond did as he said, breathing in deeply. "You're right," she admitted. "I'll stop. I just have-"

"Anxiety?" guessed Ish, to which she nodded. There was a slightly awkward silence between them for a moment. "We should contact the others and make sure they're alright."

Diamond nodded. "Good idea," she agreed. "Ash, can you hear me? Are you and Ricky alright?"

"We're fine," responded Ash. "But I feel like we're getting nowhere. How about you guys?"

"Nothing on our end either," Diamond answered. "Let me check in with the guys." She paused. "That's weird. I can't get through."

"Really?" asked Ash, confused. "Let me try." Another pause. "She's right. I can't get into contact with them." She inhaled deeply. "We can only assume that they've been captured. This is bad."

Diamond groaned. "This is getting ridiculous," she complained. "We're wandering around aimlessly while our friends and family are who knows where!" She turned to Ish. "We have to find Ricky and Ash. They could be next!"

Ish nodded. "Let's go."

OoOoOo

Diamond was about to hurl when they stopped an hour later. "We keep ending up in the same place no matter how many doors we go through!" she shouted in frustration. "Everyone's probably dead by now and on top of that, I haven't felt this sick since-" That's when realization dawned on her. She hadn't this sick since her parents had taken her to a local fair when she was little. She had gone on the Teacups with her mother and had promptly vomited on the ground. Not one of her best moments. "That's it."

"Diamond?" Ish questioned in confusion.

"That's why we keep coming back to this room," Diamond elaborated. "That's why I'm getting sick! The chambers are spinning us around until we end up in this spot! It's just like the Teacups ride you'd see at a carnival or fair!" Using the strength her suit gave her, she kicked through the wall, revealing Ash and Ricky. "Guys! Oh, why didn't I try that before!?" Without waiting for a response, she punched through the floor, hopping down to a platform beneath it. The other three touched down next to her. There were visible rooms above them, spinning around at a rapid pace.

"This is incredible!" exclaimed Ash in fascination. "Each chamber is is spinning us around and around until we ended up back at the same place! It's just like the Teacups ride you'd see at a carnival or fair!"

"Diamond already figured that out," Ish told her.

Ash blushed under her helmet. "Oh."

"I only knew that because I have motion sickness," Diamond added hastily. Ash was way smarter than she was and she didn't want the guys to think otherwise. "I bet you that the others aren't even up there. They're probably somewhere down there."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Ricky. "Let's go find them!"

OoOoOo

"Guys!" shouted Ash as they approached. Marty, Tua, and Troy were there along with Diamond's aunt, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Kang, Mrs. Stevens, Mrs. Cervantes, and Mrs. Tupola. They were tied up, but appeared unharmed. The four of them each gave an audible sigh of relief. They had arrived in time to stop any real damage from being done.

Diamond had never been so happy to see the woman who had "raised" her. "Aunt Cier-!" She stopped short. Shit. "I mean, uh..."

Cierra raised an eyebrow at her. "Diamond?" she asked. "Is that you?"

Double shit.

OoOoOo

"You're a Guardian!?" Cierra demanded when they had gotten home. "When the hell did this happen!?" She shook her head. "No, no, no! I don't like this at all! Your mother would turn over in her grave if she knew I allowed you to do this! This can not go on! Do you understand? This is not okay! You could end up seriously hurt! Or worse, dead!"

Diamond glared harshly at her. "Up until a few weeks ago, you didn't give a fuck abut my safety," she snapped icily.

"Diamond, please-"

"Don't 'Diamond, please' me!" Diamond interrupted. "I like being a Guardian! I finally found something I'm good at! And even better, I finally found friends! I'm not giving this up for the world! And if you don't like that, tough." Her NFL-R beeped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go do my job." And with that, the girl walked out of the house, ignoring her aunt's desperate pleas for her to come back.

OoOoOo

Diamond entered the HOK, slightly ticked off. "What's up, RZ?" she asked.

"Guardians, I'm afraid that kidnapping your mothers was only a distraction from the Anticorians' real goal," said RZ solemnly. "While you were away, they took both the Dolphins' and Seahawks' Megacores."

"RZ, what are we going to do?" asked Ash. "No matter what we do, they're always a step ahead of us. We'll keep going around in circles forever if we don't catch them."

"Agreed," said RZ. "That is why I am remotely updating your NFL-Rs. Now you'll each be able to summon your ancient weapons at will."

Marty's eyes lit up. "Yes!" he shouted. "I get to use my bow and arrow again!"

Diamond was thoroughly confused. "Did I miss something?"

"I'll fill you in later," Ish promised. "RZ, what about Diamond? She wasn't with us that time."

RZ smiled. "We'll just have to see what Diamond's weapon is," he answered. "You all can go home and rest for now, but be ready to jump into action at a moment's notice."

OoOoOo

As Diamond was walking home, Ish managed to catch up with her. "Hey, Di!" he shouted.

Diamond turned to him. "Oh, hey Taylor," she greeted. "What's up?"

Ish blushed. "I just wanted to say good job with that crazy teacup death chamber thing," he admitted sheepishly.

Diamond blushed as well. "It was nothing," she replied modestly. "I just-!" Ish's lips were suddenly on hers. It was only a quick peck that lasted for a second, but it was enough to make her blush deepen.

Ish pulled away, a silly grin on his face. "See you tomorrow," he said before he was off to his own house.

Diamond's cheeks were a rosy red as she glared at his retreating form. "Stupid Taylor," she muttered, shaking her head. Yet, she could not stop a similar grin from adorning her face as she made her way to her house.

OoOoOo

So, how was that? Good? Bad? Please tell me! Also, kudos to anyone who knows where I got the Teacups reference!