I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Well here's the second one. Please leave comments; I'd love to hear what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailormoon characters

Chapter 2: Explanation

Rini walked into the large drawing room, cautious of her step. Her parents only called her into this delicate room when she was in trouble. She bit her lip trying to think of what she had done in the past few days to make them mad at her. She did all of her studies, wasn't late to tutoring, had spent ample time training, and was being very social with her friends. If being a well-rounded child was a bad thing, then she was in for it; otherwise she couldn't think of anything she had done wrong.

Her footsteps were muffled by the oriental rug below her feet as she shuffled toward the oak and silk couch across from her parents. Neo-Queen Serenity tossed a warm smile towards her daughter and got up from her chair. She sat next to Rini while King Endymion stayed in his seat. He looked uncomfortable and there were bags under his eyes. She almost thought her father was sick, but he had been in good health for as long as she could remember. So what was the problem?

"What's going on?" Rini asked, feeling her heartbeat pick up a few extra pulses.

"Darling … your father and I have something to tell you," Serena started.

"Are you guys having a baby?" she blurted.

"N-no," her mother replied, furrowing her brow and trying not to laugh.

"Please, the air would be less somber and more up beat if we were having a child," Darien murmured.

Serena shot him wicked glance before turning back to Rini, "You father is going away for a while."

The pink hair princess shrugged, "Okay. Are you going with him? Is this another political trip?"

"No dear. Your father and I are having marital problems and he will be leaving this afternoon to Earth," she explained. "We wanted to bring this to you personally. We will be telling the press that he's going on official business to discuss politics and all that nonsense, but the truth is …. The truth is …."

"The truth is that you're kicking Dad out and leaving me to suffer with you!" Rini screamed. Her teenage temper tantrums had gotten worse and worse as she grew older and resenting her mother seemed to be one of her favorite past times. "I knew you would do this sooner or later!"

"Rini it's not my fault!" Serena exclaimed. "You don't understand the depth of this issue!"

"Yes I do! You want me all to yourself! You are so selfish Mom!"

"That's enough Rini!" Darien snapped. He had never raised his voice at his daughter, but she was way out of line at this point. He uncrossed his legs and folded his sweaty hands as he announced, "I cheated on your mother and we need some time apart."

There it was. The words had finally come out of his mouth and stabbed Serena right in the heart. She shook her head and covered her face with her hands as tears escaped from her blue eyes. She could feel the sobs bubbling up her throat. The tension in the room was starting to make her body shake with anger, rage, and depression. Before Rini could reach out to her distraught mother, she jumped up from the couch and stormed out of the room. Darien lowered his head as the wooden door was slammed furiously by his wife. His daughter stared at him with a questioning look in her eyes.

"I don't understand…. Dad, what happened?"

"Sexual frustration, anger, bitterness toward your mother …. It's a lot of things that have built up over the years. Before I ever explain myself to you, I need to do it to your mother."

"But how did she find out? Did you tell her?"

"No," he replied. "I don't know how she found out or who told her, but she approached me about a week ago. I couldn't lie. I confessed to the accusation and she simply said that we would figure out what we would do when the time comes. Well last night, or rather early this morning, she decided it was best if I left. She arranged for a ship to take me back to Earth and then we would move on from there.

"It's a tough situation," he continued, "and one that I'm not proud of at all. I'm really ashamed of myself for what happened, I take full responsibility, but marriage is never easy. It's especially hard when you're the highest political figure in the universe."

Rini nodded in agreement, but kept her lips shut tight in fear of saying something that could possibly offend her father. There was a knock at the door and Sailor Venus entered the room. She had kept her pissed off expression from her face as she announced, "The ship is ready your majesty."

"That's a lot faster than I expected," he replied.

"What can I say? Lita and Ami are masters of getting things done quick and precise. They're a great team," she explained.

"You mean when they want me out of here," he said snidely, standing up.

"No, I mean when they want to protect Queen Serenity and do as she asks," Mina corrected. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Darien sighed and took a few steps toward Rini who was now standing. She was getting taller and taller as the years went on. She was now at his shoulder, passing her mother by a few inches. He leaned over and kissed the moon crescent embedded on her forehead. He simply nodded to his little girl and then walked out of the room.

"I have to get changed into my armor before I get on board," he announced.

As he walked passed Mina, she called out to him, "All of your things are in the golden room." He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to look at her, "The Queen had us remove your things from her room while you were at breakfast."

"It's our room!"

"Not anymore."

He growled under his breath before storming off to the lovely adorned guest bedroom that was used for the highest of visitors. At least he wasn't in one of the smaller rooms with joining bathrooms; those were a punishment to politicians who didn't listen to Serenity's policies.

Rini walked up to the doorframe next to Mina and leaned against the wood panel. She crossed her arms over her button down shirt and knitted her brow as she watched her father walk away. That was the same man that she had looked up to when she was younger, the same man who taught her to be tough; now here he was at his weakest state and yet he still carried himself with such confidence.

"How did this happen?" Rini asked out loud, not particularly to Mina.

"I don't know," Venus answered. "Serena wouldn't explain anything more to us other than that he had cheated. We don't know how she found out or who it is…"

"I'm gonna find out!"

Before Rini could run after her father, Mina grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back, "No. This isn't your place to go snooping. You have to let your parents work this out on their own. If this happened to you, would you want your daughter or son giving you the third degree?"

She bowed her head; the scout made sense.

"Well since Mom isn't going see Dad off, I might as well, right?" Rini asked.

"Yeah, you should do that," Mina responded with a forced smile.

Rini stood at the ship's entrance as her father walked toward her in his full armor and sword at his side. His disposition looked like he was carrying something; normally when he was in his usual armor, he walked with such ease. He pursed his lips and tilted his head at his daughter. She was in her well-known white princess dress for the cameras and press who were surrounding them. She smiled and kissed his cheek before venturing up into the ship with him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, holding his arm out for her to take.

"I'm here to see you off," she answered.

"And?"

"And go with you to Earth since Momma won't," she blushed.

Darien removed his arm from her grasp and turned to his daughter, "Rini … why? Why would you do this? You know your mother will be furious. No, no this can't happen darling."

"Let her be furious; she's always yelling at me about something anyhow!" she snapped. Her face softened a bit, "I want to know what happened Dad…. Please."

He sighed and clasped his hand over hers, "Come." He dragged her to the back of the ship where his chambers were kept. He pointed to his bed and she plopped down like when she was little girl. Darien headed to his liquor cabinet and took out a crystal container holding a vat of whiskey. He poured himself a glass on the rocks in a tumbler and sipped it slowly before starting his story.

"Your mother has been busy all her life," he started. "When you returned from the past, it was even more so. She had to make sure you learned everything, she had to be the mother that she had missed out for the years you had been gone. On top of all that, she had to keep up her own training, have political meetings, and produce policies that would benefit not only Crystal Tokyo, but the universe. It's a very complicated life your mother and I lead.

"But … erm, it grew to be even more difficult as she drifted away from me and sunk deeper into the politics of her job as queen. She set up more dinners, more balls, more events and all without my help. I felt a little useless next to her power. So that's when I started going on monthly trips to Earth where I'm needed. And … that's where I met her."

"Who?"

"Stella. Stella Belle," he answered.

"The prime minister of Earth?!" Rini exclaimed as she jumped up into a standing position.

Darien sipped his whiskey and nodded, "Yup. She's who I go and see every time I travel there. We have discussions about the different countries, how they can all work as a whole, and we want the Moon Kingdom and Earth to be more connected."

"Well you did a fine job of botching that idea," she growled as she crossed her arms over her blossoming chest. "Mom will never agree to becoming more connected with Earth if this woman stays in power. I can't believe you did that. I … I have to leave. I can't go with you to Earth. It was a stupid idea."

Rini couldn't even look at him any more. She stormed out of his room and off the ship. She wiped any emotion off her face as the press tried to get her to explain why she was on the ship for such an extended period of time. She simply said that she would miss her father when he went to Earth. Her hair and dress started to blow in the wind of the ship's departure.

'Good riddance,' she thought before venturing back into the palace.

Serena stood at the window of her bedroom with tear tracks lining her face. She pressed her hand lightly against the glass pane as she watched the ship take off. What was she going to do? Divorce? Was that too drastic? Could she really continue on in this relationship with such a giant cloud over her?

A huge wave of emptiness suddenly washed over her and she crumpled to the ground without warning. Sobs escaped from her lips as she let herself cry over the broken marriage she had always thought was indestructible. A set of slender arms wrapped around her upper body and she looked up to see that she was enveloped by her daughter and surrounded by her scouts. She wailed into Rini's chest and clutched onto her child; she was the last thing keeping her and Darien together.

More to com soon!! Please review for me! I'd love some feedback!

Next chapter: Serena explains how she found out.