"Uhm…guys? GUYS?! Can you please let me down? This is getting ridiculous…" Ed spoke while rolling his eyes. Yet, even though his eyes completed a full circle, all he could see was the sky and a stick. Rather than a stick, it was a tree.
"Emilia, can't you stop them? And you, Bella, you should be helping your brother dearest…Oy, why are you laughing?!" Ed wanted to move, but his body didn't allow him. He was too helpless in front of the wrath of his comrades.
"You've brought this upon yourself. Plus, you can't move, can you? Consider this your transportation method." Emilia, who was walking at the front, turned back to talk to Ed. But, she couldn't keep a straight face for long, so she turned back to the front. Giggling sounds could be heard from her directions.
"I know I can't move, but this is just ridiculous. You could have put me on Mehen's head…so, why am I tied to a tree and being moved around like a prisoner than was caught by primitive people?!" Ed shouted, as his hands and feet were tied to the tree in his field of vision. "Plus, couldn't you choose people with equal heights? My blood is rushing to my head, and my eyes will pop anytime soon!"
Ed complained as the two carrying the tree were Goburou and Garu. Since Garu was much taller than Goburou, and since he was holding the end with Ed's legs, there was a slight tilt.
"Beggars can't be choosers, hehe." Bella, the one ally Ed thought he would always have by his side, said as she made a shaking motion with her finger. Suika was next to her, mimicking while finishing her sentence with a 'Suu!"
"You guys…" Ed gave up and allowed gravity to make his head fall towards the ground. 'At least they're blocking my mouth with something, I won't be able to spend time without talking to anyone.' Ed thought to himself. And, just as he sucked in a breath of relief, he noticed a figure flying above him. Two wings and a jet-black hair. What people would consider an angel, looked at Ed with a devious smile. To him, it appeared like the highest ranking demon.
"Uhm, don't you guys think that we can use one of these fruits to block his mouth? That way he won't bother us anymore!" As soon as Merry spoke, everyone stopped. They looked at Ed, and then they looked at the fruit-filled trees surrounding them from every direction.
"You can't be serious, right? You don't even know if those fruits are safe to eat…" Ed tried to speak some reasoning into them, but his words fell on deaf ears. It was all set into stone once Emilia said, "It's okay. Even if they are poisonous, an Immortal Establishment super genius such as yourself won't suffer from it…I think?" Emilia put one finger on her chin and closed her eyes.
'Monsters…They're all monsters!' Ed, that day, finally felt like his companions were actual monsters. Then, he turned his head towards his oldest and most trustworthy companions, and said, "Raikou, you should hel…"
Just as Ed tried to ask for help, the sight that greeted him was not what he expected. His trust? Betrayed! His hope? Completely gone? His feelings? What feelings? On his right, Raikou, whose QI began to return, used it to make shadow hands and grabbed one of the fruits high up on the trees. While the others were still deliberating, Raikou decided on his next step.
"RAIKOUUUUUU…" Ed's shout was cut in half as a juicy fruit stopped him from talking.
.
.
.
"I don't have any money!" The group disturbed a sleeping Vortigern again, and he reacted in almost the same manner.
"Mmme! Mmmm!" Ed's muffled words of annoyance failed to reach his companions, and now his only hope was his grandfather.
"Uhm…Welcome back, everyone. Is Ed somewhere else I can't see him?" A lie. Everyone knew that it was a lie. Vortigern actually made eye-contact with Ed prior to looking the other way and speaking. He was ignoring the current situation. He denied the reality that he was put under.
"You can all go to get some rest. Of course, inside the cave. Ed will figure something out for himself," Vortigern said as he lifted the waterfall again.
'They…They don't plan on leaving me here do they?!' Ed started to panic once he noticed Goburou and Garu putting down the tree.
[If it was me, I would find a pack of wild monsters and leave you with them.]
'Thanks for your love…' Ed rolled his eyes at the unwelcomed answer he got.
He felt alone as the night's cold wind brushed past him. The trees swayed around, and the leaves rustled. Only the sounds of nature accompanied Ed, along with his silent system. But, he suddenly heard a crunch coming from behind him. He was, still, bound to the tree, so he couldn't turn around. And he couldn't speak either, as the fruit was replaced by a cloth.
"I'm sorry for taking the joke too far. I hope you're not mad," Ed recognized the sweet voice almost instantly. It was Emilia, and she made quick work of the rope binding Ed. She removed the cloth inside Ed's mouth, causing him to breathe in and out. He was finally free.
"Are you? Mad?" Emilia put her hair behind her ears as the moon's silver rays shone above her. Ed looked at her with a smile and said, "I am…and I should tell you, three hours are up. You've all had your fun, now it's time for me to have mine." He stood up and towered above Emilia. Then, in a swift motion, Emilia was above his shoulder.
"Let me down!" Emilia 'struggled' against the tired Ed as she struck him in the back with he small fists.
"Never!" Ed shouted back as he raised his fist into the sky. Then, he looked towards the waterfall, and said with a powerful voice, "I'm coming for you! All of you!" there was no doubt that those inside heard him, as some of them turned invisible, someone dove into the shadows, while some scurried off into different parts of the cave.
Only one person, who was sleeping, shouted, "I don't have any money!"