"But… But, I don't understand," Usagi whispered painfully as she held a framed photograph. The picture was of a family, albeit a very unusual one that consisted of her, her boyfriend, and her daughter from the future. The situation was very complex, but rather than try to understand the intricacies, Usagi has simply vowed to love them all. But, now that love was being challenged by an unexpected twist.
Usagi tore her eyes away from the photograph, but still kept a firm grip on the representation of her reality, her future. Instead, she looked at a female teenager with blonde hair held up in two round pigtails. The teenager was a striking representation of her and Mamoru. She had Mamoru's eyes, Usagi's hair, Mamoru's cheekbones, Usagi's nose and smile. Neither Usagi nor this girl was smiling.
"Why don't you believe me?" The teenager cried, tears running down her cheeks. "I was just here two weeks ago! Don't you remember?" She asked, while trying to wipe away the tears with a tissue she had grabbed from Usagi's dresser. "I know we always had our differences." The teenager lowered her head and balled her fists, as if trying to squish her regret. "I never could be who you wanted me to be." And then, she looked up and tried to catch Usagi's eyes. "But I thought we had a different relationship here in the past. You love me the way my mother in the future never could, because I'm not her."
Usagi remained silent and squinted her eyes shut, so the tears wouldn't come and she would not have to look the other girl in the eye. She was so confused and hurt. What was happening? Usagi looked down toward the photograph, and then gasped loudly. "No!" She called, as if to will the photograph to stop. "Please," she begged, watching helplessly as the girl with pink pigtails in the photograph was replaced by the younger image of the blonde teenage girl in front of her. "Chibiusa," she whispered, unable to hold the tears back any longer.
The picture slowly fell to the floor and clattered as it hit the carpet. Usagi held her arms around her and tried desperately to hold every memory of her and Chibiusa inside.
"Please, mama, it's me, Cecil," the blonde teenage girl begged, reaching for the photograph on the ground. Inside was a picture of her, her mother, and her father. She couldn't understand why Usagi was so different and vehemently denied her daughter's own existence. It really hurt. She thought that she had a special relationship with Usagi; a relationship she desperately wanted to have with her mother in the future, Neo-Queen Serenity. She had never met Chibiusa, but Cecil would forever have to walk in the shadow of a girl she could never hope to meet.
"You are not my daughter!" Usagi denied loudly, balling her hands on her lap. She stood up abruptly and nearly lost her footing. "Chibiusa is my daughter!" Without looking at Cecil, Usagi pointed toward the door. "Please, just leave," she said, trying to maintain an even tone, but failing miserably.
Cecil bit her lip as she tried to catch her breath, but could not stop hiccupping and crying. "Mama," she whispered, gently placing the photograph back on Usagi's desk.
"Call me Usagi," the older teenager said.
"This must be a bad time," Cecil said, regaining her composure. She called up all of her abilities as a princess of Crystal Tokyo in order to provide her strength during this difficult time. "I will call upon you later and we can decide on a more favorable time to discuss this matter." She walked toward the door and bid her mother farewell. Usagi nodded and responded with some curt, but slightly more favorable farewells. This wasn't Cecil's fault, but it sure felt like it was this newcomer's fault.
Usagi shut the door after Cecil exited, then slid down the back of the door toward the ground. It felt as if everything was crumbling around her. She wasn't even sure if the ground would be able to support her weight. Usagi looked toward the phone on the other side of the room. She needed to call Mamoru. No. She needed to contact Sailor Pluto. With a renewed sense of will, she stood up and walked toward her senshi compact.