Thanks so much to all of those who have read, favorited and reviewed this story - I appreciate it very much! Over 100! Thanks!
This chapter is not much of a chapter as much as it is a summary. Strength is a lot of different things and what I set about to do in this series of perspectives was to show that, although all the characters are different they all seek to be strong. In their own separate journeys they find their own strength, but none of them find the same thing. I wanted especially to show how much strength Yugi had and that, in their own journeys, they discovered how strong he really was.
This is not a perspective so much as it is me getting on a soapbox - or at least getting really philosophical. Also, it's a way of me trying to justify why I chose the title that I did. You have been warned. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. Shocking, isn't it?
What is strength, exactly?
Crack open a Webster's dictionary, and it will say that strength is 'the quality or state of being strong; ability to do or to bear; capacity for exertion or endurance, whether physical, intellectual, or mortal; force; vigor; power; as strength of body or of the arm; strength of mind, of memory, or of judgment.' The dictionary is nothing if not thorough.
As thorough as it is, it doesn't quite touch on what strength really is, but it is difficult to put into concrete words what is mutable and subjective. It is impossible to capture the essence of strength in words without violating its truth. Strength, then, cannot be defined, but it can be seen.
It can be seen in action as well as in contemplation. It can be seen in emotional isolation as well as in empathy. It can be seen in following one's set duty and in charting one's unknown course. It can be seen in loyalty that has been tested by tears and by fire. Strength can be manifested in love; love of a brother, love of a friend, and romantic love, requited or denied. Strength can be found in defeat as well as in victory – strength of spirit can show itself even in the apparent weakness of the body. Strength is never giving up the quest for knowledge or truth, even if the journey is perilous or painful. Strength is remembering what is past and releasing it. It is finding happiness in times of grief.
Size means nothing; appearances deceive. Strength is obvious in a clenched fist, but hidden in a compassionate heart. Strength can be shown in fighting, but also in turning the other cheek. A small boy can have the same strength of a mighty king, but the two cannot be compared. Strength cannot be put on a scale of values; no one strength is better than another. Strength's definition depends fully on the person who possesses it, and only they can determine what kind it is.
It just takes true strength to discover it.
A/N: And now we are at the official end. I would like to extend a very grateful thanks to all those who have reviewed this story and in some way or another have inspired me to keep writing. I had not originally intended to write the perspectives of all the characters at the Duel, but when I was issued the challenge by one of the reviewers to do so, I couldn't resist. I am very grateful for the opportunity.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed it!
R&R