I didn't think I'd be writing another GX fic, but The Kyuubi Maiden asked me to write this, and I thought it was an interesting idea, so I'm following through. This is sort of a sequel to Zane's Cruelty.

Warning: Spanking

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Syrus's Choice

Why had he done it? Why had Syrus gone through with that crazy excuse for a duel? And why had Zane forced him to use those stupid shock collars in the first place?

These were all questions Jaden wanted answers to, but he couldn't seem to find even one. He had no desire to talk to Zane, and Syrus was still unconscious from the duel. Jaden didn't know what to do but be there for his friend, so he continued to sit beside him in a chair.

Syrus looked small and defeated in the big white infirmary bed. How could his older brother do this to him? Sure, Jaden was like a brother to him, but he could never replace Zane, and he knew that.

"Ung…" Syrus mumbled in his sleep, calling Jaden out of his thoughts. His previous thoughts disappeared as happiness filled him. Syrus was coming to!

"Hey, Sy, how ya feeling?" Jaden asked, a goofy grin on his lips.

"Like I was hit by a ton of bricks." Syrus dead panned, making Jaden slightly sad.

"Why'd you go through with it, Sy?" Jaden asked. Sure he had supported Syrus in the duel, but that was before the shock collars were a factor. When Syrus had fallen, he didn't know what to think.

Syrus didn't say anything for a moment, gripping the blanket on top of him in his fists. "I thought I could win. But that was stupid." Syrus claimed, not looking at his friend.

"It wasn't stupid, Sy." Jaden said, feeling bad for making the other boy feel bad as well.

"I lost anyways, and ended up in the stupid infirmary. So it was pointless." Syrus said.

"Yeah, and you put yourself in a lot of danger to save your brother. That's admirable, Sy." Jaden said with a warm smile. He wanted Syrus to feel better about this whole thing.

"… Zane wouldn't be happy I put myself into danger for him." Syrus mumbled, seemingly thinking deeply about something.

"Something on your mind, Sy?" Jaden asked his friend that was now deep in thought.

"Jay, I… I think Zane would be really upset with me for doing what I did." Syrus explained, but it didn't make sense with what Jaden was asking. He had already said that.

"So?" Jaden urged, knowing there was more to it.

"W-well, you remember what Zane did a couple of weeks ago, right?" Syrus asked.

How could Jaden have forgotten? He had watched Zane spank Syrus for no reason at all, and he seemed to enjoy doing so too. It had not been something fun to watch. "Yeah, I remember."

"What I did was really dangerous. I could have gotten really hurt if it had lasted longer. Maybe…" He trailed off, leaving his thought unfinished. It wasn't really something he wanted to say.

"Maybe what, Sy? Don't leave me hanging." Jaden pushed, trying to get his friend to spit it out already.

"Maybe… You should spank me. L-like Zane did." Syrus said, not looking at his friend. A part of him felt it was something Zane would do if he was his old self, and another part of him wanted that so badly.

"Sy…" Jaden said, not knowing what else to say. How could he do something like that to his best friend. Sure they were like brothers, but he couldn't imagine himself doing… well, that to him. It was too much. "I don't think I can do that to you."

Syrus sighed, knowing he was asking a lot of Jaden. But he stood firm behind what he knew he needed. But he didn't want to hurt Jaden by asking him to do something he didn't think he could. "If you were in Zane's shoes, wouldn't you want someone to take care of your little brother the way you would?"

"I wouldn't spank my brother!" Jaden exclaimed. "And I don't see how Zane can…"

"It's to help me, you know?" Syrus asked him, wanting to explain it in a better way. "Zane would do it so I don't put myself in danger when I don't need to. It's because he cares. Or, at least, it used to be."

Jaden gave Syrus a good, long look. He wanted this, in some warped way, needed it to help him feel better. But he wasn't really the right person to do it, was he? He needed someone more like… well, like Alexis. She had always been very motherly in Jaden's eyes.

And yet, he understood where Syrus was coming from. He wanted his brother back, and couldn't really have that, and Jaden was the next closest person that he had.

"Alright, Syrus." Jaden finally said. "I'll do it. But not very hard or very long. Just as much as you deserve."

Syrus had to admit, he was a little shocked. But now he was getting a little nervous. He may have asked for the punishment, but it didn't mean he liked it nor wanted it. And yet he did. He wanted the punishment, to know that someone still cared enough about him to do something like this. "A-are you going to do it now?"

"Only if you want me to. But wait, where's Miss Fontaine?" The last thing they needed was for her to walk in on them doing something like this. They'd probably never live it down.

"I don't know…" Syrus said, getting tired. The shock collars had truly taken a toll on him, and though he knew he wanted to get this over with, he knew he'd probably have to wait until he was out of the infirmary to do so. And with that thought, he fell asleep.

A week or so had passed since their conversation of punishment and spanking, and Syrus had finally been let out of the infirmary with instructions to take it easy and come back if anything went wrong. It was after class, and Jaden was with him, along with Hasselberry. In his mind, Jaden had already decided that today would be the day, the day Syrus got out of the infirmary. Sure, he wanted to celebrate with him for his release, but Syrus was getting more and more nervous of the impending punishment, and through that he was pushing Jaden away.

The three friends finally got to Jaden's dorm, their forever hangout spot, and Jaden said to Hasselberry, "I need some time with Syrus alone."

"I thought we were supposed to celebrate Private Syrus's return, Sarge?" Hasselberry asked, and Syrus looked up at Jaden, knowing what Jaden meant by his words, and his face registered a look of nervousness. Hasselberry noticed this, and continued to say, "I don't think he wants to be alone with you, Sarge."

"N-no, it's okay. I'll go wait for you in your room, Jay." Syrus said, looking from one to the other and then leaving the two standing there, watching him walk up the stairs and into Jaden's dorm. Jaden, being who he was, forgot to lock the door on his way out.

"Sarge, he looked scared…" Hasselberry said, looking at Jaden in confusion.

"See you later, Hasselberry!" Jaden called, already up the stairs and in his own doorway.

Hasselberry sweatdropped, wondering what was going on with the two of them. "Eh, I'll get it out of Private Syrus later. He's easy enough to get things out of."

In Jaden's dorm, Syrus stood there with tears in his eyes, looking at the floor. Why had he suggested it? It was only going to hurt him in the end! The rear end, to be specific. But at the same time, he wanted the punishment, even if it would hurt. He wanted to know someone cared about him here, and Zane wasn't going to do that for him anymore.

"Sy, we don't have to do this. You didn't even do anything that wrong!" Jaden exclaimed, not wanting to do what he said he would. He didn't want to hurt his best friend, and all he could think about was the pain in Syrus's eyes when Zane had spanked him for nothing at all. Jaden had stayed with him the entire night, not having wanted to leave Syrus there alone with his pain and feeling of loss.

"You do! Please…" Syrus begged him, tears pouring over the edges of his eyes. He buried his face in his hands, trying to wipe away all the falling tears, but failing at it horribly.

"Syrus…" Jaden said, then he sighed. He prayed this really would make Syrus feel better. He pulled out the chair from his desk, turning it around and placing it back down. He sat in it, and waited for Syrus to look at him.

When Syrus slowed down the flow of his tears, he saw Jaden sitting in his chair, looking unsure of himself but determined. Jaden motioned him over to his side, where Syrus went and stood beside him. He instinctively unbuttoned and zipped his pants, pulling them down to his knees with shaking hands.

"You can leave those up, Sy." Jaden said, not wanting to be able to see the damage he was going to cause on Syrus's tiny bottom. He knew his underwear wouldn't cover it enough for him to not have to look at it.

Syrus just shock his head, and Jaden nodded in understanding. He patted his lap lightly to ask Syrus to lower himself over it. Syrus did just that, bending himself over Jaden's knees so his chest, stomach, and hips was resting on them and his butt was raise in the perfect position for it to be properly smacked and spanked.

Jaden almost didn't go through with it when he felt Syrus shaking over his lap in fear and anticipation. But instead, he raised his hand above Syrus's small bottom, and brought it down so a clear and crisp SMACK! could be heard around the room. Thankfully no one else was at the Slifer Dorms at the moment…

"Ouch!" Syrus exclaimed, but then he felt bad for having already made such an exclamation of pain. After that, the smacks fell less painfully, though still painful enough. He didn't yell out again, but he jerked around a lot, kicking his legs a bit as the spanks continued to rain on him.

When Jaden had heard Syrus exclaim in pain, he had nearly stopped right then and there, not wanting to hurt his friend like that anymore. But Syrus just lay across his lap, waiting for the next spank he was expecting, and Jaden realized he had to put his own feelings aside and do this for Syrus. 'For my little brother.' He thought to himself.

Jaden continued to smack Syrus's behind, and every jolt, every kick, and, later, every whimper of pain, made him want to stop even more. But every time he even paused, Syrus would say, "Not yet. Not yet."

After about ten minutes of pretty much straight spanking, Syrus called out something that broke Jaden's heart. "Zane, please stop! I don't want anymore." Suddenly, it all made sense to Jaden. Syrus hadn't wanted this because he felt he had done something that warranted it. He had wanted it so he could at least imagine Zane still cared enough to do this, to punish him so he'd take better care of himself. Syrus just wanted his big brother back.

Jaden lifted Syrus up then and there, and he hugged him tightly, as if trying to protect him from the pain in his broken heart. Syrus cried into Jaden's chest, burying his face into it and crying his heart out. The loss of his big brother had taken a higher toll on him than any of them had noticed.

"It's okay, Sy. It's alright. It's okay to cry." Jaden comforted, feeling horrible for not having noticed how his best friend had been feeling. How much he had been hurting.

"Why did he have to change, Jaden? Why did he have to change and leave me behind?" Syrus asked in tearful sobs that only killed Jaden more.

"I don't know, Sy. I just don't know."

Painful ending for a painful story. Hope you enjoyed it. No flames.

Masochistic Duelist