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A young girl and a young woman sat at the top of a small hill covered in radiant yellow daisies. The young girl had pink hair, iridescent irises, and a beautiful smile, while the young woman had brown hair and a smile that sometimes seemed there and sometimes not.
"Mommy, what does war mean?" the little girl had asked. The young woman ruffled the little girl's hair, smiling softly. "War is when two countries get angry and fight each other, darling." "Then... what is sacrifice?" The little girl pointed curiously at the word in her book. The woman's smile dimmed slightly, but still patted the little girl's hair.
"Sacrifice means doing something very brave to protect others, dear." the woman replied. As if understanding the term, the girl nodded and returned to poring over her book. Obsessed with her novel, she did not notice the way her mother's eyes flooded with silent, unshed tears, did not notice the way the young woman kept mumbling "Kira... Kira... Kira..." again and again.
"Mommy?"
"What is it, my dear?"
"Will I sacrifice myself for someone one day? Or will someone sacrifice herself for me?"
The young woman went quiet.
"Maybe one day you will sacrifice yourself for other people, dear. That would be very brave and strong of you."
"Yay! I am brave and strong!"
The little girl cheered.
The young woman smiled.
"But, my darling..."
The girl looked up.
"What is it, Mommy?"
The woman touched the little girl's forehead.
"True sacrifice... is knowing when to step aside and let someone yield themselves."
The girl gazed up at her incomprehendingly.
"Mommy, what do you mean?"
The woman gave a watery chuckle.
"You will understand, my dear... In time."
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