Chapter VI
Defiance
He arrives at the duel academy via helicopter, this time landing properly on the heliport, Zara is still not fond of flying inside a vehicle, but she is less scared than before at least. He helps her off the chopper, offering a hand. Her fingers are slender, but the skin is rather thick for a girl's hand. It seems the years of hard work as a slave made them rough, he can also notice some very small and almost invisible scars on her palm.
Huffing in annoyance, he lets go of her hand and proceeds to the academy building, she rushes to follow his speedy pace. His impatience roars louder inside his restless heart. Near the entrance of the building he meets Manjoume by chance. Clad in white.
Zara feels an ominous aura surrounding that boy, her shoulders shrink and she shyly stands a few steps behind Ed.
"Oh, you're Saiou-sama's most trusted duelist! You came here on behalf of the society of light under the orders of Saiou-sama, right?"
"Society of light? Saiou is the leader? What are you talking about?"
"Are you not here to get rid of Judai?"
"Why would I get rid of him? I won my last duel. There is nothing else to settle."
"Hm, this is not good enough. He didn't become part of the society, Saiou-sama's powers did not work on that one."
"What are you…?"their conversation becomes more labyrinthic as it progresses.
"Do you not remember? Your deck was imbued with Saiou-sama's dark powers."
Zara does not fully understand the dialogue, but flinches at those words, much like Ed that feels even more confused about the rants of this strange student.
"What are you talking about? Explain it properly!"
"Oh, you don't know? Hm… Saiou-sama must have his reasons, I'll let it be then..."
He gestures a greeting and leaves, Ed calls out for him nervously, but he simply disappears into the lands of the academy. Zara grabs Ed's sleeve, quivering internally, he is startled at her, his eyes showing a faint hint of concern.
"Ed… That man, he was posses..."
Before she can speak, Chronos and Bonaparte arrive there to welcome him, the shorter man greets him with an ambitious smirk. He promised Ed something that wasn't true, to find the card he has been searching for so long. A cruel, yet efficient strategy.
Some other faces also come along, using differently colored uniforms too, they are all tense by seeing his face and Zara looks around in confusion, feeling uncomfortable with the dense mood.
"You will duel with the Osiris dorm demolition at stake."
"I will do it!" Asuka steps in front.
"Good, your opponent will be Ed Phoenix-kun!" he giggles, satisfied. His evil plans are getting into motion.
"What?!"
They shout in unison as Ed simply steps ahead showing he has no interest in contesting the claim or refusing. How did the vice principal get him to act like that?
"I have no objections, it doesn't matter to me as long as you remember our deal..." he casts a dark, sharp and threatening glance at the shorter man.
"Ieek!"
The vice principal jolts and scaredly watches him proceed to the duel arena. When the duel is about to start, he can see the cautious expression on Asuka's face, she was not prepared to duel against a pro. Fortunately, Judai barges into the arena.
"Wait! I will duel Ed!"
"Aniki!"
"Does that mean you can see your cards again?"
"Yes! Not only that, I have something I want to tell Ed! Let me duel him, Asuka..."
With a worried glance, she forfeits the duel disk to him, much to Bonaparte's dismay, though he is fully convinced Judai will lose like the last time. The priestess mimics what the other students do and takes a seat on the bleachers. Her eyes flicker as she feels uneasy watching the back of Ed on the duel arena.
When the first hologram appears, she cowers in fear and drops from her seat, her scream is muffled by the sound of the monster attacking.
"What is this…? The spirits of the monsters are attacking..."
Her body shakes, it is like in her world with the real battles and dangerous stone tablets being a source of summoning, those spirits coming out of the cards seemed so alive and dangerous, uncontrolled, yet Ed has been dueling like it didn't matter. She is admired and afraid for his sake.
The duel is astounding, full of comebacks from both sides, Ed was fully convinced that he could win, but at the end, Judai gets the win. He is amused, it is true that he can defy Saiou's predictions. He admits his defeat this time.
"I might have lost today, but don't think my destiny heroes lost to you. It was because of my imperfect abilities this happened."
"Nah, I just wanted to show you my new great heroes, it was not a serious duel, it doesn't count, I lost the last one, we are still tied, Ed. Let's settle it another time."
"Right. I will be looking forward to that, Judai."
He smiles faintly, this time it doesn't have the overbearing tone or even his usual irritation, he truly enjoyed this duel and his talk to the opponent. Nonetheless, as he walks off the platform, he casts a gaze at the principals, they shudder in fear.
"I will make this duel academy one of my bases, though I still won't attend as a full fledged student since the professional league will keep me busy."
"Go-good luck!" They hug each other wishing Ed the best while thinking of their silly deceitful strategy.
Zara gasps seeing how the duel ended with his loss, he stops and casts a glance at her, then, he starts leaving on his own. She rushes out of the bleachers and tags behind him clumsily, before she fully leaves the arena, she looks over her shoulder, to the other students.
Her coral orbs land on Judai: he smiles talking to his friends, but after feeling he is observed, his gaze turns to hers, their eyes meet for a moment. As if the whole room had disappeared, she sees only Judai and herself, coming out of him she visualizes a strand of white smoke coming out grainy like sand, it's his aura and a winged Kuriboh, entranced by that power.
He is stunned for a moment, but as soon as she blinks next, everything is back to normal and she is startled seeing how he noticed her, shyly running after Ed and disappearing from their sights.
"Judai, is something wrong?"
"Ah, no… Nothing… I just had the impression that the girl right now could..." he smiles and shoves it off, scratching his head carelessly "It doesn't matter, I just never saw that girl in our academy."
"Hm, true… I have never seen a student like her, she was not wearing a uniform… Moreover, didn't she come with Ed?"
"Is she some sort of assistant?"
They all look at the trail she followed before leaving, wondering who this girl could be and why she came with Ed Phoenix, a renowned duelist. An apprentice, maybe? No, he wouldn't take apprentices, would he?
Outside the building, the grey-haired has a rather displeased expression, he calls Saiou on his phone. He wants to know what is going on, all the strange things that Manjoume said and the fact that Judai could defy his predictions. There is no answer, it seems he isn't available.
"Saiou… What are you planning? Why did you come to the academy and what is the society of light? What are you going to do with it?"
Clenching his fists, he looks at the phone and puts it back in his pockets, determined to find the truth himself.
"He will surely come back, Judai can contradict his predictions, he will have to come here if he wants the destiny to flow as he envisioned..."
A loud and familiarly annoying voice interrupts his serious thoughts, he turns around to look at the person that comes running after him. It's the priestess, she pants out of breath, putting a hand to her lungs. He is uninterested in her state, his mind is still delving on more important matters.
"Ed are you alright?!" she clasps her hands together, getting his attention again.
"Of course I am. Do you think I am that petty I would falter just for losing once?"
"T-that is not what I meant! Those monsters! They attacked you, right? Are you hurt anywhere? I can heal you!" she fidgetily inspects him from all sides, to find wounds, her eyes wobble like gelatin.
"Idiot." a faint smile comes to his lips, she is so hopeless "Those were holograms, they are not real monsters… They are just… Images projected in the air… I wouldn't get hurt by that."
"Images…? They are fake?!" she is even more shocked when he nods. "B-but you looked like you were in pain, the other man too!"
"That is just..." he sighs "It is out of reflex, when our eyes see something in front of us, our bodies react in instinct, it doesn't mean it has to be real for this to happen."
"Really? You're not hurt? I was so scared..."
She smiles, putting a hand to her chest in relief. His eyes open slightly, why is she so worried? Since he mentioned coming here, she has been acting like this, as if his life is threatened somehow. Is it connected to what Saiou has predicted for the future?
Since his duel ended, his heart feels a bit lighter for some reason. Is it because Judai talked to him about his D heroes? He never knew he was burdening them with his destiny, that struck him with surprise and conflicting feelings. He was reminded of the excitement of seeing a new hero and what it is capable of, of the kid he was when his father was still alive and made his D heroes.
Reminiscing about it, his smile softens and his hand reaches to the top of her head and he caresses her hair gently. It feels like petting a fluffy animal, her cheeks blush slightly. Her eyes lift to look at his hand, in confusion.
"I am fine, stop worrying like this. Let's go."
He stops the petting and turns around directed towards the borders of the island. She touches the top of her head in awe with the lingering warmth of his hand. Still flushed, she stares at his back distancing, a glint of sadness invades her eyes and they flicker. This is the first time he has shown such gentleness on his touch, but she can still see the aura of anger that hovers above him. His destiny has not fully changed yet.
"Ed..."
Closing her fists in decisiveness, she curves her mouth down, promising to herself she'd do her best to change it fully and tags behind him in a hurry to catch him up.
A few days pass
Saiou enrolls as a third year student in the academy, at that time, most of the school has turned into white robbed people. The academy environment has changed, both Manjoume and Asuka were converted to the strange cult and all the followers obey without questioning their leader.
Ed arrives at the island on his yacht, looking at the cliff, his eyes squint in doubt, he will observe how everything develops and eventually, he is bound to find Saiou. He will get all his answers. Among other thoughts, he is again interrupted by a voice that annoyingly bothers his concentration:
"Ed! This river is so big! It looks deep too!"
The priestess bends herself over the guardrail of the boat in a dangerous way and he berates her again teaching about things she doesn't understand:
"It's not a river, it's an ocean! The water is different, it's salty. Don't even think about jumping in there!"
He then reminds her how a few days ago, he considered having a babysitter take care of her, but after reconsidering, it was a bad idea. Not only would it call too much attention, but other problems like random duel monster cards coming could pop up when she is involved.
He sighs resting his elbows on the guardrail on the complete opposite edge of the boat, watching her fumble around happily while her eyes sparkle. He may have become too soft, but in hindsight, when there were assassins after her and after all her attempts to warn him about the terrible destiny she has predicted, it might be better if she is around.
It is a bit bothersome that he can't enjoy his time off work in peace, he even planned to come alone and have more time for himself, but it was foiled by the loud, cheerful priestess.
"Don't make a mess on the boat..."
He tiredly adverts and she nods, watching the fishes jump out of the water, hopping enthusiastically. He was here for an important matter and he had no intentions of being hindered by anyone, even her. It could be a bit strange and embarrassing if someone sees her in his boat, though, since they're the only ones in there.
Leaving the deck, he goes to the kitchen, she curiously tags behind him, a drop of sweat rolls down his face noticing how her curious eyes stare at his back. He feels discomfort, since the last time they came and he lost his duel, she has been like this, following him around everywhere. Does she even know the meaning of privacy? Why is she acting like a baby duckling?
"Stay away from the stove, I don't want any accidents in my yacht."
She nods, standing quietly near the entrance and watching as he prepares ingredients to cook a steak, impressed by his abilities. He feels pressured under her consistent gaze, is she trying to learn how to cook or what?
He wouldn't trust letting her hold a knife in a million years. No way he is letting her get any closer to the kitchen utensils. Indeed, he has done cooking and many other things for himself since he lost his father, he had to learn it. Even with a guardian taking care of him, he wanted to be more independent. Now he has another mouth to feed.
Is it because he got used to living alone that having someone else around makes him so uncomfortable? Or is it her annoying voice and personality? He prepares the food diligently, soon the smell comes out of the kitchen and he divides the portions into two plates.
Her eyes glitter in amusement on witnessing how he can make a beautiful meal, and she follows him to the deck as he puts the food on the table outside, politely sitting to eat his food in peace.
From the pier, Judai, Kenzan and Shou attempt to fish, they cast a look at Ed's yacht and become jealous of his appealing food. Judai is also surprised to see that the same girl from before is also on the boat, she has the same hair color as Shou.
"Huh… That girl..."
"What is it, Judai?"
"Ah, nothing!" he scratches his head again, smiling cheerfully.
Truth to be said, ever since that time she looked at him, he had this weird sensation that she could see more than just him there and like Manjoume, she could see spirits. Why is he thinking that?
"I bet Ed is having a great meal and he is enjoying it, saurus!"
Envying the quality of the food, Kenzan throws the line and hooks Ed's steak, trying to steal it, but the other reacts by cutting off the line with his knife in a swift and expert move. At that same time, while he quarrels mentally with the rich pro duelist, the other fishing lines react, they've got a big fish.
Zara watches in puzzlement at the situation, but as soon as she sees a fish being hooked and jumping out of the water, she jumps out of her seat and rejoices, going near the guardrail to watch it better, bending over it.
"They got a fish!"
"Don't bother with this bunch." he casts a sideway glance at her.
She points with excitement, seeing her smile like this, he sighs heavily in a contemplative tone. It is true she has shown to have some sort of power, she floated, she healed her injuries and she could feel presences, but right now she looked just like a normal girl, had he not seen the scars under her bracelets, he wouldn't believe such a spirited person had a past of slavery.
He has no time to wonder about others now, his gaze diverts to the island, from all he knows, Saiou might be planning a move soon.
During the night, he sees someone iffy disembarking, the famous top ranked pro duelist X. He did not expect that coming, with a distrustful glance, he marches towards the Osiris red dorm, to warn Judai and his friends of who is the opponent.
"Did you come to steal our food?"
"I have no interest in it." He grumpily and arrogantly replies "I came to tell you about a dangerous pro duelist that came to this island."
Not long after Ed appears, Judai ends up in a duel with the man called X whose fame is to destroy the opponent's deck and consequently, their dueling spirit. During this time, Zara is alone on the boat, under the moonlight, she prays by the side of her bed with flickering eyes.
"Dear gods… When will I have an answer for my inquiry…?"
All she has done since she arrived was to cause trouble to her benefactor, not only that, she couldn't help him a single time, no wonder he was so upset about having to take care of an useless priestess like her. Her eyes close in anguish. She can feel the cold wind blowing from outside.
That is when, under her eyelids, she has a flash of understanding, in a second, she gets up and rummages through her own belongings in a hurry. First she finds herself her formal priestess dress and throws it on the bed, then she touches all sorts of accessories that were part of her original outfit when she came to this world and suddenly, a joyful smile comes to her lips.
In her hands, she holds a thick golden ring with a millennium eye carved into it. Her face brightens as she brings it close to her chest fondly as if embracing a precious hope.
"I will do everything I can to help Ed… If I can do this, then he may survive…"
Quickly changing into her clothes, she grabs the ring and runs off to the deck of the yacht. Unknowing to this, the gray-haired observes how Judai outclasses the man who was feared by many pros, he included.
He faces the challenge bravely and unwieldy, unlike Ed that would avoid such a duelist or even recognize his limits, Judai simply didn't care. Perhaps it was this courage of facing it all without hesitation or using his head to think about it that made him so unique.
"Humph."
He faintly smiles in a satisfied manner, he got to see something interesting, plus Saiou's plans were frustrated.
"Wait, Ed! Thanks for the tip!"
"I didn't say anything special."
"Won't you come to celebrate with us?"
"I have other matters to take care of, don't think I have time for this just because I came here."
Without much interaction, he leaves, they wonder why he came in the first place, but Judai has a smile, he feels Ed is somewhat less cold towards them recently. Maybe he is right.
"Ah! I completely forgot to ask, there was a girl on Ed's boat, right? Who was she again?"
"I dunno, but probably someone important if she came here with him -saurus"
"It doesn't matter, let's celebrate!"
They go back to their dorms and the pro duelist goes back to his boat, pondering what next move Saiou will do next. The deck is empty and so are the insides of the boat.
"Is she already sleeping? With how much energy she spends during the day, I wouldn't put it past her to just faint on the bed by nighttime."
With a disdainful look, he carefully opens the door to her room to check it. Surprisingly, she is not there, but her room looks messy, there are clothes spread everywhere, it is unsightly.
If she is not there, then where is she? He barges into all the other rooms on the boat, is it impossible they missed each other on the corridor, there is not that much space, he also goes to the captain's cabin, but no sign of life there either. A stroke of realization hits his heart. She isn't anywhere.
"What in the world…?"
He gasps worriedly looking around in a hectic manner, clenching his fists, what if she was taken? That would be the worst, he still wanted to hear more of that destiny and which sort of dreams she saw in detail. What if her powers could go as far as predict who killed his father?
Coming out to the deck, the last possible option, he supports his hands on the guardrails and scans the sea and its waves. Is it possible that she fell? He whirls towards the coast and jumps down quickly, ignoring the ladder, leaving the yacht.
As soon as he steps on the land, he listens to the sound of water splashing as if someone came out of the sea, his sight flashes towards that direction, he can visualize the white clad maiden coming out along with the waves, a ghostly aura around her, it sends shivers down his spine.
His steps heavily thread on the sand towards her, annoyed and completely indignant, she turns around, noticing his presence with a smile. He grabs her shoulders abruptly, she is soaking wet and her skin feels gelid to the touch.
"Zara, what are you doing?!" his voice sounds more like a scolding than a question.
"Ed! I was doing a ritual!"
"Are you insane?! You were in the sea late at night? What if something happened to you?! You could've drowned! And you will get a cold if you swim this late!"
"I am fine! The pure water was necessary to perform a ritual. Brr."
Her body shakes involuntarily, the fact she willingly jumped into the freezing water on her own, not even leaving any indication she has gone out riles him up.
"Imbecile! I told you to stop with those strange rituals!"
"But…" she has both hands closed together, as if she holds something "I was making this for you, Ed!" A silly and boastful smile sprouts on her face.
He lets her go with a confused look on his face and she opens her hands, showing a strangely designed ring. She brings it close to her face, and bending down with her eyes closed, she gives a kiss to the ring, he feels a chill driving down his body, in a different way than before, his mind inadvertently reminds him of the touch of her lips back when they first met, his blood accumulates on his cheeks slightly.
"It is completed now! This is a gift for you!"
She stretches her hands offering it to him with a big sheepish smile while her body quivers with the wind that blows coldly. He steps back once, refusing to believe her cluelessness. Why did he get so upset over her not being in the ship? He should just have let her there outside in the cold to begin with.
She steps ahead, still offering the strange ring to him. He gulps, she is using the same priestess clothes as when she first came here, but they are dripping wet and slightly transparent, he avert his gaze to her face before he can confirm the color of her skin under it.
"I don't want it! Just come back to the boat and change clothes, you'll end up getting a cold!"
"No! You can't refuse it!" She draws closer, he frowns at her.
"Enough! I don't need these silly…"
Before he can fully refuse it, she quickly stuffs her hand onto his pants pocket, putting the ring in there, he grabs her wrist taking it out, but it is too late.
"What are you doing?! Do-don't just put your hands on me like that!"
"You must not refuse! This is for your own good, Ed! It is a protective charm that will keep you safe! You must carry it all times!" she clenches her fists with an adamant stance.
"Protective charm?"
He is startled, taking it out of his pocket, he holds it, his hand feels numb, as if some energy emanating from it spreads on his palm or perhaps, it is just that all his blood concentrated on unmentionable parts of his body again.
The ring is enveloped in serenity. His mind that starts drifting away reminisces about how she just kissed it before handing it to him, and he immediately readies himself to drop it, but her hands reach to his.
"Ed, please! I worked hard, I really did, it will protect you! You need to have it!"
She squeezes his hands, closing them in a plea as her eyes flicker in anxiety, why is she getting so desperate over a ring? A drop of sweat trickles down his chin. His good consciousness just prevents him from refusing it.
"Whatever!" He pushes her hand away and puts the ring back in his pockets "More importantly, we're going back to the ship!"
Turning around in a fit of annoyance he crushes the ground under his feet, the sand makes crackling noises. She tags behind, sighing in relief.
At the boat he throws a towel over her head and crossing his arms, leaves the room so she can change. His temper is always on the edge, nonetheless, he still went through the trouble of getting her back into the yacht.
Putting a hand on his head, he again wonders why is he even doing all of this, he checks the ring in his pocket once more, for some reason it feels like power is leaking from it to his hand, but how could that be? And what exactly did she do for it to become like this? On second thought, he doesn't even want to know.
In her room, she happily dries her hair with the towel after a successful shower, a sense of accomplishment curving her lips upwards, but all of sudden, the world around her blackens.
The air is lacking into her lungs, she drops the towel, looking around to a scenario of nothingness. In the dark, she sees an overbearingly bright light, it spreads and consumes everything, in the middle of that light, a familiar silhouette.
"Ed…?"
The person looks at her, she can't see their faces, but the whole figure shows it has to be him, she tries to reach her hand, but they float backwards, distancing themself. She hurries her steps catching up to them. He stands right ahead.
Her vision becomes unstable, for a very brief moment, she sees another silhouette behind him, from a person she does not recognize, a man with long dark-blue hair. Both silhouettes intertwin, becoming one and he stretches his hand as in a duel.
She holds out her fingertips as far as possible, her muscles ache, just to touch his hand, but his silhouette crumbles like sand, she grasps the sand grains, but they fall from the openings between her fingers.
Closing her eyes tightly, she runs to a random direction, an attempt to escape that vision. Her eyes open wide when she bumps into a metallic bar, her body bending forward, she visualizes the sea under her, frightened.
Suddenly, she feels a pull on her arm, stumbling backwards, her back hits someone's chest. She is sprung around in a rush and scolded immediately:
"What are you thinking?! Why did you go forward to the sea? Do you want to drown in the middle of the night?!"
"E-Ed? But you were…"
Her scared eyes tremble, she looks back to where the silhouette was, it looked so real, the way he disappeared and what happened after. He keeps shouting but stops after a few seconds, her eyes stare at him, but her mind is not there, she seems lost inside another world in her mind.
His mouth shuts closed. What just happened? She suddenly appeared on the deck, running as if she was chasing after something and bent over the guardrail desperately, had he not been there, she'd have fallen into the ocean.
"I saw it again… That again… No…" she shakes her head off as if expelling those images from her mind "I don't want that!"
She is trying to change it, she is, but what did she do wrong? Why does it keep repeating itself the same way she saw it before? She grabs her hair, messing it around as if thinking hard on what to do. Bringing her hands close to her chest and shrinking her shoulders, her eyes stare at the ground, in panic.
He lets go of her shoulders and steps back cautiously and worriedly, wondering why she performs such strange movements and ignores his presence.
"Zara… What is wrong…?"
She flinches with the sound of his voice, her eyes oscillate with anguish, she grabs his arms, patting it everywhere and looking into his face as tears swell in her eyes.
"Are you right here in front of me?! You're the real Ed now... aren't you?" her eyes are filled with dread while she asks that.
She takes her hands back and the tears start trickling down as the images of her vision overlap, he gapes, even more perplexed by her burst of emotions. Why is she saying the weirdest things?
"Of course I am real… How would I not be? What is wrong with you?!"
One of his brows twists in anger and the other in confusion, she grabs the border of his suit, patting all over his chest. His warmth is proof he is right there alive, in flesh and bone, her grip softens as she realizes he won't disintegrate like in the vision.
"You…!" his face reddens and he reflexively puts a hand on her shoulders to push her away "How can you be so...?!"
He stops himself after hearing the hiccups that come with her tears that she tries to wipe with the back of her hands. A pinch of compassion spurs on his heart. Resting his hand on her shoulders, he resigns with a heavy sigh. Leading her to the chair near the table they used for dinning earlier, he sits her down and crosses his arms watching over her.
"What made her so unstable? The last time she looked like this was in the museum, no… It is worse than there…"
She hides her face on her coddling arms supported on the table and cries. Not long after, he can only hear a faint breathing, as if she lost consciousness there. With a deep sigh, he takes her from the chair and carries Zara in his arms, she is surprisingly heavy compared to what he expected or perhaps, he is not strong enough. He carefully lies her on the bed, covering her with a blanket, leaving only the head outside.
"Frankly, I can't take my eyes off you for a second that you're already getting into trouble..." he mutters to himself. "Who even cries until they sleep while sitting…? She is really something else…"
He crosses his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at her sleeping face. Her eyebrows twist her expression in some sort of bad dream, she moves her head as if bothered by it.
His annoyance smoothens by seeing how troubled she looks, his interior is corrupted by this compassionate feeling swirling in his bosom. Perhaps he is indeed being too soft? She cried until she slept and even now she doesn't seem to be resting peacefully.
"Even an idiotic person like her can have hard nightmares, huh…?" he averts his gaze, getting up and walking to the entrance of the room, checking on her a last time before closing the door "I must admit, that stupid smile of hers is a more fitting expression than the one she has now..."
"Sleep well, Zara."
His whisper carries an honest wish within. Those words never reach her ears. Her dreams of death and destruction torment her mind.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
presea221: Ed is certainly not prepared to teach Zara about everything in the world XD but someone has to. As for the investigative job, well, not much else he can do now, so worth trying, I guess.
ToBlazePurple: I felt bad for Ed too, that was part of the intention in the scene, but no other way around, Zara is just too naive. In the cannon, Ed already dueled Ryo at this point of the plot and Ryo lost, if you are talking about the duel Ed is challenged to in the Genex arc, we will still cover that in the fic later. Regardless, I don't think I will be mixing both stories for many reasons, one of them being I want to focus on each one in their own universe. As for if Ryo will change in the other story, you'll need to wait and see XD
