"What should we do?" Emi asked after a moment.
Gray picked Ella up and slung her over his shoulder. He walked casually down the hall to Music Room 3. Emi followed like a lost puppy. Gray went into the music room and plopped her on a couch.
The Hosts all gathered around Ella, unsure of what was going on.
"What happened?" Kaoru said what they were all thinking.
Gray couldn't say what happened, at least what he thought had happened.
Gray just said what Emi knew, "We just saw her in the middle of the hallway, unconscious."
"That's worrying," Kyoya said, pushing up his glasses. His words were relatively void of emotion or genuine concern.
After a minute, after the boys started to go about their business, after Gray was forced into helping take care of business and after Emi's concern shifted into disgust, Ella rolled over onto her side. She brought her hands in front of her as she faced the back of the coach. She looked like a child waking up for school but not ready to get up.
Emi rolled her eyes. She couldn't stand Ella, she was her rival, "She's awake."
Gray turned his head and glanced at Ella. No one had seen Ella move but Emi. Emi just kept eyeing Ella hatefully. Emi had the urge to poke Ella but restrained herself. After 5 minutes, Emi opened Ella's eyelid. Ella just curled over further on her side.
"How can you not tell she's awake?!" Emi burst.
She was ignored. Ella was no longer unconscious, just asleep. Emi was frustrated. Suddenly Ella bolt upright. She looked frightened.
Now what? Emi thought.
Ella was silent and managed to only be noticed by Emi who had already been paying painstakingly close attention to her. Emi didn't look alarmed or worried for Ella. Ella wasn't surprised and she didn't care. She had other priorities here, at Ouran.
"Are you going to say something," Ella said after Emi continued to stare, "or just glare?"
Emi instantly averted her gaze. Her cheeks reddened slightly. She was clearly embarrassed.
"You're so weird," Emi said after a few minutes and a few dared glances at Ella.
"I try to be," Ella said proudly, pulling her hair back into a ponytail before immediately stopping herself.
Right! My guild mark… Ella thought.
"You don't, though," Emi protested, raising her tone, "and it's not fair."
"What are you talking about?" Ella said, so confused.
The guys had just noticed that Ella was awake. The girls stopped their conversation with Ella's question as Gray approached.
"What happened?" Gray asked. It was clear he wanted to know where the kidnapper had fit into the chain of events that had unfolded in the hallway.
"Don't worry about," Ella said with a carefree smile, her hand pushing the matters at hand to the side. She may have acted different, but she meant later. Everyone else couldn't hear about it. Ella and Gray were undercover.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Emi asked, playing the kind and concerned.
"Yeah," Ella said, "I'm fine. Thank you." Ella said standing up.
"Are you sure you're okay to stand?" Haruhi asked. The hosts started paying attention.
"Oh, I'm fine," Ella said. She ignored the slight nausea and the dizziness she faced.
That's new, She thought.
Faking smiles was going to be the new normal from now on. She couldn't imagine wandering the halls alone after what keeps happening to her. Falling unconscious was getting more dangerous and worse each time. She was out longer this time and now she feels it afterwards. At least the fact that she keeps getting knocked unconscious is leading Fairy Tail closer to the kidnapper and leaving Ouran.
Host Club came and gone. Ella and Gray took care of what they had to. Emi never got around to telling Tamaki and Kyoya that Gray couldn't be in the Host Club anymore. Ella and Gray got out of having to help clean up so Ella could get home safe.
"So, what happened this time? Gray asked once he school was out of sight.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Ella said briefly. That's all it was. She heard an ear splitting scream in her ear.
"You were out longer," Gray stated.
"I was," Ella confirmed. She paused, debating if she should mention the nausea and dizziness.
"What?" Gray could tell she was thinking.
"I wasn't just out longer," Ella said biting her lip. "When I stood up I got a little dizzy."
"And you weren't last time?"
"Nope."
"I don't like that…" Gray trailed off.
"Trust me, it's not a picnic for me either. No fun at all."