Animal Instinct
By: Neko-chan

A/N: Well... this wasn't really supposed to continue, but... I was challenged to write this 'sequel,' of sorts. So, with that said, this one is for you, DruidessQueen. ^_^
~Ryou Bakura POV
~PG to PG-13
~Angst/Psychological/Philosophical (somewhat, anyway)
Summary: With Yami no Bakura as a yami... would Ryou's world view ever change?
THANKS: To DruidessQueen who challenged me... and for agreeing to be my beta reader.
DISCLAIMER: *points to previous installment*

* * *

I don't care what he says.

Really and truly—I don't.

Humans are more than just animals. We feel, we think, we love, and we have empathy towards others. As much as he wants to deny this, as much as he wants to refuse this—it is all true and no amount of denying these simple facts will ever change them from being true. No matter how much he argues, no matter how sadistic and cruel he can become—he is still a human being and human beings are more than just animals.

We think more and we feel more. We know the passing of time and we _know_ that we will someday die. We love life and would be willing to fight against anything to keep it sacred. We may lose our life in the end, but we still keep true to the belief that all life is sacred and thus all life must be preserved.

Yami says that I'm being naive and optimistic. He says that I know nothing of life or how we really are. Yami says that every single person in this world has a touch of sadistic-ness in them, that they like hurting and bleeding—and that the only reason why they don't submit to that urge more often is because of the very thin mask of humanity that they cling to with deformed and clawed hands.

He's wrong.

We are who we are.

Some people rejoice in killing and bloodletting... but deep down inside, where it all really matters, they feel awful for what they do, don't they? I mean, how could they not? Every single person on this world feels some emotion or another... don't they? Yami says that he feels nothing and that he feels nothing for no one. But couldn't that all be just a lie, a lie to keep others at bay and at a safe distance? It has to be true because one of the major things that separate us from true animals is that we feel for ourselves and for each other.

True, animals can feel emotion, but not at the depth that we, as human beings, feel. Their own emotions pale in comparison to ours, fading into the background while our emotions roar over the land like a berserk forest fire. That is one of the things that make us human, it has to be.

We feel the passing of time, just as we feel emotion. We know that time—months, years, decades, whole lifetimes— have passed before us. We can even record the passing of time so that future generations can look back on it and _see_ for themselves what our lives were like. We know that one day—maybe someday very soon, maybe one day in the far-off future—we will die.

Yami says that there is nothing left for us after death, so why waste our life away hoping for a better existence after we leave? He's wrong. He's so very, very wrong. We have a great many things to look forward to after we die; but those rewards are all the more enriching if we make this existence as wonderful as we can. Helping others and loving others; empathy and life coexisting.

Yami says that I'm a naive fool.

But how could I be so naive if this is how life really is? If this is how life is really supposed to go on as? We are human—not animals. We love and rejoice and we know that we're _better than all of this_.

Yami points out that we're descended from primates. That we are, in essence, the most evolved primate. I reply that sharing DNA has nothing to do with anything. He says that we're still animals. I tell him that we have emotion—they don't. He looks at me for a very long time and then softly says, "But that's not true, yadonushi. I've learned a lot about this world—all through television. Primates show emotion—if you've ever watched gorillas and chimpanzees interact, you'd know this. Oh, yes. Primates DO have emotions."

Well, their emotions aren't as developed as ours. We love and we have _empathy_. How do you know that primates have that?

"How do you know that they don't? We're animals, yadonushi. We feel and we can _empathize_." Why do I feel as if he's mocking me? "Just because we can feel doesn't mean that we aren't animals. We feel pain. Animals feel pain. We feel companionship and affection toward others. Animals feel the same, otherwise why would they gather in groups? Animals have the instinctive need and urge to survive. As do we. So how can you look at me and say that we aren't animals?"

But...

"We kill. Animals kill. How do you argue against that?"

I can feel my eyes widen. I'm speechless and the scariest thing is—_I don't know what to say._ How to argue? How to prove my point if I no longer believe that what I'm saying is completely true??

"We are animals, yadonushi. We hunt. We kill. We hate and we destroy. In fact, looking back on our history—you could even say that animals are more civilized than we are. They never fight over petty things—we never see an animal do what we do. In fact, you could even say that we, human beings, are the deadliest animal on this planet. My, what a depressing thought, isn't it?"

What to say? What to say? What to say? My mouth is dry and my mind is blank. How to argue against all of these points? How to disprove ALL of them? My beliefs aren't wrong—they're right; I just know it. They have to be right because... if they aren't, what am _I_ to do? What about basic human kindness? What about love? It can't all be like he says. I know that he's wrong, I just _know_ it. There's more to life than just killing and trying to survive. There are so many things to look forward to, that separate us from animals.

We're better than all of this.

Human beings aren't animals...

...are they?

~Owari~