I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. The cards Fox Spirit- Malicious, Wolf Spirit- Courageous, and Full Moon Rising are mine. This is a sequel to The Beast Within so I recommend reading the original or this story won't make sense.

Chapter One- Influence Broken

There was a gasp of surprise and then a thump followed by a cruel laugh. Hassleberry got to his feet, looked back and down at the tripwire in his dorm's doorway, and then looked around to see no one though the laugh had been close by.

Hassleberry grinned as he called out, "Good one, Sarge!"

"Thanks, Hassleberry," came Jaden's voice as the brown kitsune shimmered into existence. He had a smug smirk as his friend clapped a hand on his shoulder and then scratched one of his red ears. He sighed contently at the scratching before saying, "Head off to breakfast, Hassleberry. I want to see if Sy will trip too."

"Roger that," Hassleberry said as he headed down the stairs while Jaden turned invisible again.

Three days had passed since Jaden defeated Aster and used his magic to influence his friends to accept his evil personality and mean tricks. All of his friends allowed Jaden to prank them and they liked it…except Syrus it seemed.

The short duelist had gone along with the pranks like the others but about last night, Syrus seemed like he didn't appreciate them like he had been. This confused and concerned Jaden. Was his magic wearing off on Syrus and if so, why?

Jaden shook his head to banish those concerns. I may be half-kitsune, but my magic is just as strong as a full kitsune. There's no way anyone could resist it.

A cry of surprise and alarm snapped Jaden out of his thoughts and he snickered as Syrus had hit the wire and was sprawled on the porch. "You okay, Sy?" he asked in a convincing false tone of concern as he dropped the invisibility.

"Uh, yeah, just skinned my hand," Syrus said as he held up a scrapped left palm and gave a shaky laugh. "Good prank, though."

Jaden pretended to be apologetic. "Gee, sorry about that. Maybe you should see Miss Fontaine."

Syrus winced a little at his stinging palm. "Yeah, I think I will." He set off down the stairs, his schoolbag in his other hand. He shook his hand a little as he walked. Oh, man. That really hurts. But, that's okay. This will toughen me up for when Jaden pulls another mean trick. I just want him to be happy in being the evil half-kitsune trickster that he is. I mean, that is what he is now and…what am I thinking!?

Syrus came to a dead stop as his slightly clouded eyes became clear. Whoa. What happened? I was just thinking about Ja being who he is now as a good thing. But that's not true. I like Ja the way he was: The friendly, easygoing half-kitsune who played harmless pranks and used his magic for good. No one else seems to be coming to the same conclusions like I am. They accept Jaden the way he is and any tricks he plays on them and others. So, how was I able to throw it off? Syrus unconsciously licked his palm and hissed as his saliva making contact with his scrapped skin. He looked at it and saw the redness fade and the skin healing itself.

Syrus felt like hitting himself. Of course! My own half-animal heritage. Zane and I are half-werewolves on our father's side, just like Ja's kitsune side is from his dad, only my family's heritage goes back much further.

Wolves are the top members of the canine family; as such they have mental barriers to block the magic of other canine members, like foxes. I can put those barriers up to keep Ja from using his magic on me. It's up to me to bring Ja back to how he was…maybe. I think I'll observe my friends to see if they're throwing off Ja's influence. If they are, I can tell them about the influence and to act as if they are still under it. Syrus nodded to himself before putting up his mental barrier, feeling ashamed of himself for lowering them in the first place.

"Hey! Sy!" called Jaden and Syrus turned to see his friend with a folded handkerchief. "Brought some breakfast for you. Hey, your hand's looking a lot better."

"Yeah. It wasn't as bad as I thought." Syrus opened the tied cloth and he subtly flared his nose. All he smelled was fish and rice. There was nothing nasty hidden in them. He ate the food, knowing he would need to eat in order to keep up his mental defense.

"You doin' okay, private?" asked Hassleberry when he caught up to them outside the school's front doors.

"Yup. It wasn't really that bad." Syrus scrutinized his friend for some sign of influence and found it. His eyes. They have a cloudy look to them. He sounds and acts normal but his eyes give it away as is the way he talks about Jaden's tricks.

Now that Syrus' mental barrier was up, his concentration and focus in class improved. He took notes, answered questions correctly, and kept an eye on his fellow second-years: Alexis, Bastion, and Atticus. Bastion was giving Syrus an approving node at his fellow Ra taking his studies seriously now. Syrus saw that Bastion's eyes were also cloudy. Still under Ja's influence too.

Jaden seemed oblivious to Syrus' new focus. The brunette's eyes seemed unfocused and Syrus wondered if he was cooking up pranks and tricks to play. His plans to be a pro and the next King of Games is being overshadowed by his trickster nature. At least it seems that way to me.

"Uh, Jaden? Aren't you still wanting to be a pro duelist and the next King of Games?" Syrus asked as they broke for lunch.

"Of course I do, but I want to explore my heritage for a while before going back to my dream." He shot Syrus a stern look. "You do want me to be a strong evil kitsune, don't you?"

Syrus felt magic pushing against his barrier, but he batted it away. "I do want that," he said, pretending that he had been influenced.

"We all want that," Hassleberry put in.

A satisfied smirk appeared on Jaden's face and Syrus saw some red creep into his brown eyes. "Naturally. I must do what I was meant to do and it means a lot to me to have all my friends supporting my decision."

Hassleberry nodded happily and Syrus imitated this action. However, he was a little concerned at how Jaden's eyes were becoming dual-colored and how it made him look truly evil. He's getting worse. If I don't find a way to save him soon, nothing will help save him.

"Ya gonna pull a prank at lunch?" Hassleberry asked, sounding eager for one.

"I had gotten a few ideas during class. I know you'll love them." Jaden bared such a grin, it gave Syrus a feeling of deep foreboding.

"Uh, I just remembered that I promised to have lunch with Bastion today," Syrus lied smoothly.

"Too bad. It's going to be some of my best work, in my opinion."

"Well, maybe another time and hopefully next time, the pranks will be even better," Syrus said, sounding excited at the thought.

"Oh you know they will and I could prank you later with this new set."

"Sure. I'd like that." Syrus rushed off to Ra where the day's special, curry, would not have any prank surprises. He savored having a normal meal while fretting over his friend's change in personality.

Ja can't be a pro like this. If he loses a duel, he may use his magic on his opponent out of vengeance. What can I do?