Hey there, everyone! I have a ton of news for you. First off, Beku and Komai will be here tomorrow! Keyki and I are really excited about this. We've been counting down the days for a week now, and all of our patience is finally paying off.

There's not much news when it comes to me. (You're lucky!) The only thing you might want to know is that I'll be away this Saturday. I won't be able to update that day--Just in case something MAJOR INTENSE happens, I want to let you know. NOW, let's move on to the juicy chaos of the Cyberus...

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It all started night before last. Malik had been severely abused by Yami once again, and he was sobbing alone in the dark. Right when he was about to wish for death, a small voice echoed in the night: "Hello?"

Malik jumped at this noise, excited at perhaps obtaining a new friend. He called back to this childlike voice, and started up a conversation with what sounded like a young boy. He expressed his sorrows to the child, telling him the story of Yami turning against him, and how he wanted to be friends with a certain person, but they would never accept his feelings. (Just to let you know, that person is me.)

The boy immediately felt sorry for Malik, and agreed to be his friend. He said that his name was Aru, a child from Egypt who has been trapped in the Shadow Realm for years. "I've been alone, too," he said. "I guess we found each other... we found each other in the dark..." And the two embraced, finally able to feel the warmth of someone else.

But the end of the night did come, and Malik was forced to leave Aru. The two promised to meet again tomorrow night, and with that, we turned on the light, and Aru vanished. Keyki left the room, and I went to sleep... but the new excitement didn't end there.

The next night, as assured, the boys met up again. This time, it was earlier, so they'd have a lot of time to play together. At first, they had a wonderful time talking and laughing. It had been a while since anyone had seen Malik this happy. However, the fun ended when he found out that none of the others could see or hear Aru.

At that moment, Yami took the chance to mess with Malik's mind. He told Malik that Aru was just an illusion, and that the boy was going mad. The poor child started crying again, hearing Aru's soothing voice calling out to him, and Yami's harsh words that gnawed at his sanity. But, when all was said and done, Malik decided to ignore everyone's words, and keep visiting Aru.

And his decision made him happy. Malik and Aru played Twenty Questions together, and laughed like they had been friends for years. However, Ryou and ProtoMan were baffled as to why Aru wasn't visible to them. Their fist guess was that Malik's companion was just an imaginary friend, but the boy insisted that Aru was real. Several times, Ryou tried to speak with this mysterious child by having Malik translate Aru's words. Even then, he wasn't satisfied.

"Malik, 'Aru' might be dangerous," Ryou said. "What if he's messing with you? What if he's an evil spirit?" Malik still insisted that his friend was just another boy, and a kind person at that. "But has he told you anything about him?" Ryou kept going. "What about where he lives, how old he is, his mother's name? He's far too secretive for me."

That got Malik thinking. Even Yami began to fear the safety of his hikari due to Aru's missing identity. "Why don't you just ask him these things? Tell him you want to get to know him better--that best friends should know these things." Malik agreed, and went to visit Aru once again.

Like always, once Malik called, Aru appeared, and sat down to listen to his friend. Just as Yami suggested, Malik began asking the common questions. "So, Aru, what's your mom's name?" he began casually. Aru just said that he didn't feel comfortable talking about her. "Where did you live in Egypt?" Aru "didn't know". Malik was starting to become suspicious. "How old are you, Aru?"

This time, his friend didn't give a shy answer. "Why does it matter? You don't need to know these things. All you have to know is that we're best friends. That's it."

In the meantime, Ryou was getting tired of waiting. "What's he saying, Malik?" he'd ask occasionally. Malik would translate, and eventually, Ryou decided to have a word with Aru himself. "How old are you, Aru?" he asked again. "You might be too old for Malik. Friends tell each other these things."

"Don't interfere!" Aru snapped. Malik, though surprised at this outburst, quietly translated for Ryou. But our British Bakura wasn't ready to accept this answer.

"I'm not interfering! Malik is my friend! I care about him, and I don't want you messing with his head!" And that was a big mistake. Aru took a hold of Ryou's collar, and stared into his eyes. For some reason, at that moment, he became visible. He got Ryou down on the ground, and hurt him somehow. "W--what are you?" Ryou whimpered.

With a sadistic smirk that was all too familiar for Malik, Aru hissed, "What am I? I am the darkness... and I will do anything I please to you. I told you... Don't interfere..." Malik couldn't believe what he was saying. At first, he asked Bakura if he heard that, and, though shaken, Ryou managed to choke out a meek, "Yes."

Malik, though loyal to Aru, had to discuss this personality-change with him. "Aru, what happened to you? Your voice... you... You were just so mean. Why?"

Aru had reverted back to his kinder form to speak with Malik. "Nothing happened. I just didn't want that piece of scum messing with us. That's all." Once again, Malik could hear that nasty edge to Aru's voice. But, just as quickly as it started, it vanished. "I love you Malik. I don't want anyone else... just you and me."

Malik agreed to this. Even when his friend became even more violent and malevolent, he kept by his side. He watched as Aru spat nasty insults at Ryou, and even became more vicious towards him. Finally, he decided to speak up. 

"Aru," he said. "What happened to you? You used to be so nice. You're mean now... you even sound different. Aru... I--" But he was interrupted by his friend's wicked laughter.

"Malik..." Aru said. "Nothing happened to me... This is what I am--who I am: Rakikai Seriosphinx Zashurura." If you don't already know, that is the name of our favorite maniac, Yami no Bakura. "My mother's name is Hizuyuri Zashurura... and I used to live in Kul Elna... three thousand years ago."

Shocked, Malik stepped back. "Your voice... No wonder. You sound just like him. This is so weird..." But Aru said that he and Malik were still friends, and even though this friendship was beginning to get a little nerve-racking, Malik agreed. Even after Aru threatened to kill Ryou, and began to mess with Malik's head, the little boy still stood by his side. At last, Yami took control of the situation. After turning on the light, he sat down and spoke with Malik.

"Listen to me," he said. "Aru isn't your friend. I don't want him hurting you, Malik. This thing is ripping you apart. Look... I'm your real friend. I admit it--I'm sorry." That was the icing on the cake. "I want you to go back to the Shadow Realm and banish Aru for good. Tell him you don't want him anymore, and he'll go away."

So he took Yami's advice, and sure enough, it worked. After three tries, Malik banished Aru. It was hard to say goodbye--especially after hearing the boy cry out, "Malik, no... I thought we were friends... You found me in the dark, Malik... I don't want to be alone. I love you, Malik..." But it was over. Malik's will was too strong.

And so the night ended on a happy note. Yami and Komai sang "We're Gonna Rock This Town" together, and sounded "smashing". Ryou and Hikari no Malik sounded equally wonderful with "Tainted Love", and he, ProtoMan, and Keyki made everyone laugh with their own version of Jethro Tull's "Bungle In The Jungle".

Thus, came forth two new bands: Bakishtar, and The Karaoke Drunks.