Title: Serena and Darien: Much Ado About Nothing,Part Four Author: Saritaluv E-mail: saritaluv@yahoo.com Rating: PG-PG-13 Serena hung her head, her pigtails dragging on the floor. Her high spirits of before were quenched. She sighed. Since no one was standing in for Alex, she obviously wasn’t going to try out. "Mr. Higashi?" a voice called out from backstage. "I have a stand-in for you!" Serena perked up. Jumping up happily, she whirled around. Out of the darkness came atall...dark...senior... "Yo, Darien," Charles called into the darkness. He spotted his friend where he knew he would be. Setting up the lights for tomorrow’s practice. He was bent over his work, coiling wire around his arm, waitingfor something else to do. At the sound of his friend’s voice, Darien raised hishead. "Yeah, Charles?" "Listen, you know how you said that you might try out for Benedick earlier?" Darien sighed as he placed the coil of wire on thefloor. "You know that Alex pretty much has it. Why evenbother?" "Because he had to leave early. Come on, just standing in couldn’t hurt, could it?" "I suppose so," Darien said with a long-suffering sigh. He followed his friend towards the stage. "Mr. Higashi?" Charles called. "I have a stand-infor you." Charles shoved Darien forward into the bright lights of the stage. He was temporarily blinded. People shoved sheets of paper into his hand, obviously for him to read. Hmm, this was kinda on a short notice...oh well. Luckily for him, he knew the part very well, it being his favorite play. When he finally regained his sight, his jaw nearly dropped when he saw his opposite. Serena! "You may begin," the voice of the headmaster stated. There was a silence as they both stared, slack-jawed at each other. Darien glanced at his lines. Serenahad the first line. "Go on, Meatball Head," he teased. "What are you staring at me for? You have the first line!" Immediately, the shocked look on Serena’s lovely face vanished and then turned into determination and scorn. Serena gazed at her paper. The words didn’t make any sense. How in the world was she going to deliver these lines when she didn’t know what in the world they meant? Oh well, she could try her best. After all, this was her one chance to show that conceited jerk Chiba a thing or two about what she can do. She cleared her voice. "I wonder that you will still be talking, SigniorBenedick, nobody marks you." She was surprised at how scornful and haughtily her voice came out. Even Darien was. She giggled softly at his surprised expression. But he immediately drew his face into one that mirrored hers. "What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?" His voice carried the same scorn and confident air as it did when he teased her. So, this was a page ofinsults. ‘All too easy,’ Serena thought. "Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to Disdain, if YOU comein her presence." She stressed the "you" with contempt. "Then is Courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain that I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted, and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly, I love none." That line sounded vaguely familiar in Serena’s mind, as though she had exchanged this conversation withDarien before. "A dear happiness to women! They would have else been troubled with a per...pernick..." "Pernicious," Darien stated. "Thank you, Mr. Chiba, I was just getting to that," Serena said angrily. She cleared her throat and beganagain. "A dear happiness to women! They would have else been troubled with a PERNICIOUS suitor. I thank God and my cold blood that I am of your humor for that. I would rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than have aman swear he loves me." "God keep your Ladyship still in that mind, so some gentleman or other shall ‘scape a predestinatescratched face." There were titters somewhere in the back. Both turned their heads, but all had straight faces. Amy was shoving a fist into her mouth, trying not to laugh. If those two only knew how natural and how familiar this exchange sounded! "Scratching could not make it worse, and ‘twere such a face as yours were," Serena said. "Well, you are a rare parrot teacher!" "A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours," she said hastily, trying to get it over with. She was starting to feel bested by Chiba. She had no clue what she was saying, and he did. "I would my horse had the speed of your tongue and so good a continuer. But keep your way, in God’s name, Ihave done." With that line delivered, Darien quickly walked off stage towards the lighting director. "You always end with a jade’s trick. I know you of old," Serena said almost sadly, to no one inparticular. Charles grinned. Better than he thought. Darien was sure to get the part, his rendition was the best. It was a toss-up between Raye and Serena, but if Raye got the part, Serena would at least be the understudy. Then Raye can fake an illness... "Thank you, you are dismissed," Mr. Higashi told the others shortly. The students all filed out of the room. The headmaster then turned to the student bodypresident. "Well, Fujimatta, what do you think?" "Well," Charles started, grinning, "I think that Darien Chiba would make a wonderful Benedick." "Hmm, well his rendition was indeed good..." "Then it’s settled," Charles replied hastily, hoping that Mr. Higashi wouldn’t come up with an argument. "I guess. What about the leading lady?" "That’s a little bit harder..." Charles saidthoughtfully. "Yes. I’ve half a mind to get that freshmen, what’sher name..." "Serena Tsukino?" "The dark haired one. Is that her name? Well, I’ll get Serena Tsukino to play the part." Charles held his tongue. He wasn’t going to inform his headmaster that he was about to cast the wrong girl for the part. But that didn’t matter. It was all part of a greater scheme of things... "The cast list is out!" Molly yelled enthusiastically down the halls of the freshmen lockers. Serena slammed her door shut and whirled aroundexcitedly. "Really!! I’ve got to see this!" The two girls ran down the hall to the bulletin board, with the cast list posted on it.Much Ado About Nothing Benedick: Darien Chiba, seniorunderstudy: Alex Kaneko, junior Beatrice: Serena Tsukino, freshmanunderstudy: Raye Hino, freshman Hero: Katherine Takemako, sophomoreunderstudy: Elizabeth Morimoto, junior Claudio: Mark Watanabe, juniorunderstudy: Elliott Kuimatta, freshman The Prince (Don Pedro)... Serena stared in disbelief as her name was posted as the lead! She couldn’t believe it. "Molly, am I dreaming?" she breathed to her friend. "No you’re not, Serena. Congratulations!" Molly enthusiastically hugged her friend, as she continued to stare with disbelief at the names posted. "Serena!" a different voice came from another direction. "Congratulations on your part!" It was Raye. She hugged her friend. As much as Raye would have loved to be Beatrice (who wouldn’t, with Darien as the opposite?), she knew her friend deserved this chance (and it was another way to get her andDarien together!). Congratulations flew in fast and thick for the freshman. Serena was dazed throughout it all. ‘I got the part, I got the part, I got the part,’ was the only rational thought going round in her head. Somewhere, back in the far corners of her mind, she noticed her opposite. Darien Chiba. "Darien!" The voice of Andrew echoed in the senior locker room. Darien looked up from packing his books for his nextclass. "Yo." "Guess what?" Darien made an irritated face. There was no answer to that question and Andrew knew that. "What?" he asked in a dead-beat voice, tired from theday before. "You got the part!" THUD! Darien’s books dropped to the floor, as well as his jaw. Was he hearing correctly? "WHAT?!" "I said, ‘You got the part!’ Isn’t it great?" Darien stared off into space, marveling. He hadn’t bothered to check the list this morning because he was sure that Alex Kaneko was going to get the part. "Are you sure? Did you read the list right? I mean, shouldn’t I just be the understudy?" Andrew hid a smile at his best friend’s look ofastonishment. "Nope, I read the list correctly. You’re Benedick!" "I don’t believe this," muttered Darien to hislocker. "Come on, Darien, this is a great chance for you! You’re always so reserved. So, show your stuff! Be astar!" "I don’t believe this," Darien said, shaking his head, not hearing Andrew. He was staring wide-eyed athis hands. Andrew decided that now wasn’t a good time to introduce his pal’s opposite. He left Darien to sort out the information in his head before running off tocongratulate Serena. "Practice is immediately after school, Dare! See yalater!" The blond haired young man left a disbelieving best friend in the locker room, shaking his head andmuttering. Okay, that’s it for now! Hee hee! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it’s relatively short in comparison to my other chapters (and even THAT is really long!), but the next one will be really long! I promise! ^_^ Stay tuned for the next chapter. The trapping will begin! ~_^ E-mail me!