Taming Serena

Disclaimer: I own neither Sailor Moon (wish I did) or Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (play lines borrowed for purpose of this story). Now I'll say something witty: something witty.

A/N: I may use the Japanese and English names interchangeably… so Serena Usagi and DarienMamoru, and so on and so forth (mostly cause I like both versions of the names.)

Girls still have powers, Mina is Sailor Venus, they don't know Darien is Tuxedo Mask, and Lita, Ami, Rei, and Serena all together,(at the same school), Mina just arrived. Spoilers for first season, mostly. Please Read and Review. Thanks

Summary: What will happen when the girls and Darien try out for the school play- The Taming of the Shrew? Hilarity ensues, Youmas attack, and love, justice, friendship overcomes all, and the girls find out who Tuxedo Mask is.

Chapter 1: Monday mornings and the project

"AHHHH!" Serena bolted upright in bed, and started to run around the house getting ready... for her hundred mile dash to school. "Mom! Why didn't wake me up earlier?" she asked, whining.

"I did, dear, several times, and each time you swore you were gonna get up?" Mrs. Tsukino's melodious voice floated upstairs.

"And you believed me?" Serena whirled around to stare at Luna, who was snickering. She'd heard this routine many times over the few months she'd been with Serena. "It's not funny," Serena hissed, still doing up her 'odangos'. "Now, I'll probably bump into Darien the jerk. Baka." She ran downstairs, grabbing her bag and her lunch with one hand, yelling, "See ya!" She ran as fast she could to school, sighing in relief when she reached the gates of the school without bumping into anyone… annoying.

She ran into her classroom, at the same time as Ms. Haruna. "Hello, Serena, good thing we're both here late, so I won't mark you down this time… we're having a guest this morning."

"Oh thank you Ms. H. I honestly tried to get up earlier. Who's the guest?"

"You'll see." Ms. Haruna laughed, and then took roll call… "all right everyone is here except Melvin. Where is Melvin?"

Molly looked up, "He has to go to a funeral… his granddad died." There was a knock at the classroom door. "Come in," Ms. Haruna said. "Ah, great, you're right on time." An older gentleman with blond hair liberally streaked with gray, and kindly brow eyes entered, and following him was a familiar young man with black hair, and sapphire eyes.

"Baka!" Serena shout-whispered, closing her eyes, and hoping he was a figment of her imagination. She opened her eyes, and saw that her wishes were unfulfilled.

"Class, this Professor Hitomi from the University. He teaches Shakespearean drama class, and has an interesting project for us to work on."

"Hello, everyone. This is my assistant, Darien Chiba. Right now, I would like us to go around and introduce ourselves. I'll start here," Hitomi stood by the row closest to the door, thus guaranteeing Serena's row to be last. Everyone introduced themselves, up and down the rows. Molly, Amy, Rei, and Lita of course, Serena's other peers, and then it was her turn, "Hi, I'm Serena Tsukino," she said smiling.

"Meatball head," Darien said in greeting. Serena turned to him frowning, "Excuse me? Do I know you, Mr. Chiba?"

Darien frowned, and shrugged, "Okay, if you want to pretend not to know me, it's fine with me. Meatball head." Serena just smiled and turned away, hiding the inside expression of annoyance.

The class watched the byplay, and then while Haruna was instructing the class to take out some paper for a quick lesson in Math, for the teachers had conferred and decided that the Professor would just observe the students acting naturally. Darien and Professor talked over in the corner, in the back of the class (almost behind Serena). The Professor asked him quietly, "Do you know that young woman, Darien?"

"Yeah, we bump into each other practically everyday… we usually argue when I call her Meatball Head, though… hmm strange." Darien shrugged and looked around at the students. He saw Serena actually taking notes from what Haruna was writing on the board… but then she passed the note to Rei, who read it, passing it to Amy, who also read it, and handed it to Lita. Lita covered her mouth and giggled quietly, looking at Serena and nodding. Amy and Rei laughed a little bit too, then Amy looked at the problem Haruna put on the board, and nodded that she understood… along with everyone else except Serena. Serena looked at the problem she copied down and noticed what she did wrong (she is smart; she just does not always apply herself). However, as the short lesson continued, Serena found herself blinking, sleepily, and half yawning, as she tried to copy notes. She started when she heard Haruna tell the class to put away the math notes, and get out their Literature and English notebooks.

"Now class, onto the project we are going to do this semester. We will be performing the play, "The Taming of the Shrew". It is an English play by Shakespeare, written in the 1600s. I would like all of you the read the script Mr. Chiba is passing out by tomorrow, where I will answer questions about the play, and help translate it to modern English so you will understand the play. On Wednesday, I wish to start auditions for the various parts… so tomorrow I will pass around a sign up sheet listing the characters. You may sign up for more than one, but I will be picking the best very carefully. So tonight you will have this play to read, and the page of math problems on the board. You're excused for lunch." Everyone stood up and filed out the door, with Serena lagging behind to grab her lunch. She caught to the others, but Darien stopped her, "Meatball head, wait."

She nodded to her friends to continue without her, and then she turned to Darien, "Yes, Mr. Chiba? What can I do for you?"

"Stop calling me Mr. Chiba for one. And you could invite me to eat lunch with you."

"Umm- no. The girls and I have to have a conversation about something not school-like and you would just ruin it. Bye now." Serena turned around and left the classroom, and catching up with her friends, muttered, "that Baka… who does he think he is trying to invite himself for lunch with my friends?"

"Hey Serena, what did Darien want?" Lita asked, passing her some of the food that she made. Lita, Rei, and Ami sat in a circle around the picnic Lita prepared for them.

"Oh nothing important," Serena replied stuffing as much as she could in her mouth. Ami, Lita, and Rei all commenced eating, as if waiting for this as their signal. Serena finished eating and watched as the others slowly finished eating as well. Ami fished out her copy of the play book, while Rei pulled out a stack of Tarot cards, Lita packed up the dishes to take home, and Serena spaced out. Rei looked up and asked, "So are any of you going to try out for the play?"

"Yes!" they all shouted, all but Serena, who was still spaced out, her blue eyes wide with the day dream of Tuxedo Mask carrying her off into the sunset. She jumped when she refocused and saw her three friends staring intently at her. "What?" she asked, when they just stared at her.

"Rei wanted to know if any of us were trying out the play. We said yeah, and you.." Ami started to explain.

"Spaced out like usual," Rei complained, loudly, and rudely, "What were doing? Daydreaming of Tuxedo Mask again?"

"Oh. The play? Yeah, I'd like to try out." She ignored Rei, and turned to Ami, and Lita, "How about we read the play all together?"

"Sounds great," a deeper voice answered. They turned toward it, Serena glaring as she saw Darien. She opened her mouth, but Rei covered it and said, "Yeah, great. We can all go to the Shrine after school, and practice." Ami and Lita nodded, Darien smiled and said, "Great, I'll meet you there."

Serena looked at Rei and asked, "why'd you have to go and invite that BAKA?!"

"Well, excuse me, but he invited himself." This started a minor tongue war, which was interrupted by the bell. They all got up and ran inside, Lita carrying the picnic basket, and Serena grabbing her and Lita's book bags.

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Later that day at the Shrine:

Ami was explaining in her gentle way what each line meant, "and this line here: "I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again" means that Petruchio will slap Kate if she continues to fight him. Their relationship is still very tempestuous here, and Petruchio is still trying to work on taming her, and right before he says this, she slapped him."

Serena, who had volunteered to play Kate, said "oh, can I slap Darien," and after Ami shakes her head, said Kate's line, "'So may you lose your arms./ If you strike me, you are no gentleman,/ and if no gentleman, why then no arms.' But Ami I don't get that line."

Darien interrupted, "It means that Petruchio will lose his status as a gentlemen, but then as he never was a gentleman, he doesn't lose much. 'A herald, Kate? O put me in thy books.' A herald is someone who maintains a list or books of those with gentlemanly status, and Petruchio has thereby told her that he will now act as such."

"Oh this is so confusing," Serena started, looking like she was going into one of her infamous wails. Darien touched her arm gently, telling her, "just go slowly, and we'll translate. Look how far we've already gotten, the middle of the second act."

Serena nodded, and they slowly went through the play, translating line by line with Ami and Darien's help. Soon though it was time to go home, and everyone but Rei (of course!) left. One by one each of Serena's friends turned to go to there own direction. When it was Darien's turn to leave her to continue the walk home by herself, he just said, "I'll walk you home. It's too dark for you to continue by yourself."

Serena pondered at his kindness, the kindness that occurred all day from him, but soon they were by the front gate and Serena said, "See you tomorrow Darien." He nodded and wished her good dreams for that night. As soon as she went inside and up to her room, Luna asked how the day went. Serena told her about the Taming of the Shrew, how they the Senshi were all going to try out, and about Darien helping them get through the reading of the play. Luna told her about communicating with HQ, how they said another scout would be arriving soon, how Luna herself was sure they were going to get the Imperial Silver crystal and find the Princess. Luna told her while she was getting ready for bed, "I've been watching for attacks and so far no Youma have shown up, but we'll be ready when they do."

"Yes, Luna," Serena said, distracted, then trying to refocus, "do you think that the new scout will the Princess? Did HQ say who the new scout was?"

"No time, your friend Andrew almost caught me," luna sweatdropped at the memory. "Anyway, HQ wasn't sure who about the Princess… it's weird that none of us have any memory of the Princess… she would have been reborn and sent to Earth like the scouts." She saw Serena blinking sleepily, and said, "Good night, Serena."

"Good night, Luna." Serena drifted off to dreamland, snoring the whole time.

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A/N: that's all for the first chapter… I know it's slow paced, but I'll pick up the speed after finals… two weeks or so. Expect an update around the 23rd of March. Please read and review, let me know if I should continue. Thanks!!!

2nd AN: the lines from Taming of the Shrew I used are in Act 2, Scene 1, lines 216-220, from the Burton Rafeel edition.