The men’s situation had not altered at all. They were chained in the same spots, in the same manner, and with the same strange materials. Duo was still a living torture device, Millardo was still pissed, Yuumichiwu was still singing, WuFei was sounding more and more like a judge everyday, and Trowa was still silent. They still did not know how much time had passed, having no way to gauge whether it was night or day. The only thing that had changed was that there was an increasing tension in the room, which had begun growing only a few hours ago. They knew something had gone horribly wrong, and that it had something to do with the girls, but they were helpless to aide them.

Trowa shifted, now used to the sound of chains rattling. He was on the verge of sleep, but fought against it, his instinct on high alert. When the center of the room started flickering with a strange light that originated from a single spot on the floor and streamed outward, he knew why. A deep voice that didn’t belong to any of the group sounded through the cell. It was strange, as if the owner was speaking from the back of his throat and was unused to the English language. “I see that you Sense your partner’s distress. It is obvious in your actions and manners. But what, I ask myself, would your reactions be when you know what exactly is wrong with them?”

The flickering light all of the sudden organized itself to show them a vision. “Hologram! It’s a hologram!” stated Duo emphatically. The rest ignored the obvious statement and stared at the screen. “Where is that?” asked Millardo. As the vision cleared, Trowa said, “That’s the circus!” As soon as he had said that, the girls came into view. Trowa’s heart leapt into his throat as he saw Makoto for the first time in what felt like forever. He hadn't realized how much he missed her until that moment, when an intense desire to just hold her flooded him and tears came to his eyes as he watched a mere vision of her, somehow more beautiful then he could ever recall. She was as beautiful as ever, but the evidence of strain was obvious. He could see that she had bags under her eyes and that her smile had to be forced to her lips. Suddenly, they were able to hear what they all were saying, and Trowa was captivated by the sound of Makoto’s voice, and her laughter. They were side by side with the Doppelgangers. The men ground their teeth in frustration. ::They must have been with them the whole time.::

Trowa glanced at Duo as Makoto lifted up one of the babies that were in the baby carriage and Minako cradled the other in her arms. Tears were running down his cheeks and a look mixed pride and fury was on his face. ::I would be outraged too if I missed the birth of my first children.:: But Trowa quickly turned to the hologram again when he heard his own voice cynically reveal Makoto’s infertility. The heads of the men in the room snapped in his direction, but Trowa couldn’t see anything beyond the pain and betrayal in Makoto’s features as she badly tried to brush away the statement. ::I’ll kill them…I’ll kill them all.:: His whole body tensed as he let his rage take over. As his rage grew and he watched the further havoc that the Doubles were wreaking on their loved ones, he felt his Power level increase dramatically. He remembered something that Makoto had once told him about fighting in anger. :: “Anger could help or hinder. You see, anger comes in two basic form; Blind rage and controlled hate. Blind rage is obviously not going to help because you are not in control of yourself, and if you are not in control of yourself, you can’t control your magic. But controlled hate, that ice cold burning in your heart and your thoughts, it actually increases your Power level, because it is entangled with emotions. Sorrow and desperateness work to, but not as much as hatred…"::

Suddenly, WuFei cried out in distress. Trowa watched as the Doppelgangers fell, obviously dying, not understanding at all. “Wait…why are they dying? I thought at least they would try to use them to assassinate them – but then again they’re not Powerful enough to even contest the girls.” All at once, a bitter and angry voice sounded from his right. “They’re breaking their spirits. They are trying to make them weak with sorrow and heartache.” Trowa looked at Millardo, and then turned back to the screen. The worst part about seeing this was that there was nothing they could do but sit and watch. Makoto didn’t cry for ‘him’, just stared at ‘his’ body as if she were completely lost and was helpless without him.

The hologram flickered and the scene changed, showing what looked like a university lecture auditorium. At the front of what had to be at least three hundred college students, Mizuno Ami Peacecraft stood on a small dais in front of a blackboard covered in complex mathematical problems. She carefully and understandably went through the problem that probably seemed like a totally alien language to some people. She was so interested in her teaching that she didn’t notice when a man in a brown suit with an awful bow tie and a grim-looking police officer walked into the classroom. One of her students quickly pointed out to her, and she turned to the two smiling. “Yes? May I help you?” The man in the bowtie licked his lips nervously and said, “Mrs. Peacecraft, this man needs to talk to you on a matter of importance.” Looking slightly annoyed, Ami said, “I’m in the middle of a class. I’m sure it can wait.” As she turned back to the blackboard, the officer said, “It concerns your husband, ma’am.” Ami turned back, this time looking confused. “Millardo? What about Millardo?” The officer cleared his throat nervously and said, “Millardo Peacecraft was found dead in his office this morning.” The entire room went completely silent as Ami went into shock. “No. No, that’s impossible. I would have Sensed something. I had to have Sensed something.” The officer and bowtie man glanced at each other, then bowtie man said. “We’re sorry, Mrs. Peacecraft. His body is being moved to Japan, where there have been several other reported cases identical to his – Mrs. Peacecraft!!” Ami completely collapsed into a heap on the ground and the vision went blank.

The men stared at the center of the room in shocked silence, dead silence reigning in the air. Trowa finally closed his eyes, realizing that nothing more was going to be shown, and in closing his eyes, he tried to make himself wipe out the memory of Makoto’s pain. But, just as his lids closed, the same voice sounded through the room again. It chuckled, then said, “This is an interesting view.” The hologram flickered on again, this time showing the inside of a tent. All the girls were there, with the exception of Makoto and including Naru. They were in a tangle of arms as they tried to hold each other and sob. Quatre was standing to the side, his head bowed and face hidden from view. ::Quatre. We didn’t even think of him, poor guy.:: The scene changed yet again, this time to show Trowa and Makoto’s tent. “What the Hell happened?” It was completely trashed, and Makoto was in the center of the disarray, sobbing so hard she was almost hyperventilating. She gained control of herself, only to look down and pick up something. ::Oh, no. She’s going to…:: “Looks like the Goddess of Jupiter might take care of herself for us,” said the voice. ::MAKOTO!!!::

Makoto dropped the glass in shock and looked around the room frantically. ::Trowa!:: But reality came back to her only a moment later. ::No, he’s dead. I’m just being foolish.:: She looked down at the bloodied glass, and then at her still-bleeding wrist .::I can’t do this. I have too much to take care of.:: Something moved on the other side of the tent, and Makoto tensed. “I don’t want to be disturbed.” But whoever it was entered anyways, completely ignoring her insinuation. Makoto swung around, “I said - ” But Hyo completely ignored her and rubbed up against her. Makoto sighed and curled up into a little ball beside him, exhaustion finally taking over. But even in sleep, she found no solace. Instead, she had nightmares about Trowa, blessedly alive, but imprisoned and helpless.

The next morning, the very first thing Makoto did was respell her emotions again. But this time, she altered the spell so that it was permanently installed in her center of magic and only had to be reinforced. Then she opened her eyes, got up, and left the tent. ::I’ll clean later. I have my career to continue.:: But, as soon as she had secured the flap to the tent, she heard somebody call her name. Or rather, she heard somebody call, “Mrs. Barton!” from across the tent area.

Two men walked up to her; one portly and short and the other tall and muscular. Both flashed their badges at her, but from a good distance away. Hyo growled fiercely at them, for he knew that Makoto had had to deal with detectives before, and she didn’t like them. “Mrs Barton,” said the fat one, “we are going to have to ask you to relocate the tiger.” ::I wonder if they teach them to talk like that in detective school.:: “What if I don’t choose to. He is a comfort to me, and a means of protection, and I feel threatened by you.” It was a blatant lie, of course, but she wanted to make them think she was a lot weaker than she was. “How about this,” the tall one said, “You get rid of the tiger, or we charge you with obstruction of justice, and assault with a deadly weapon.”

Makoto shrugged, knowing that was entirely possible, if not plausible. She smiled at Hyo and said, “Go chase some clowns, love. I’ll call you when I need you.” The tiger growled one last time at the detectives before turning around and sulking off to the Big Top. The Detectives approached her, coming within arm’s reach. “Thank you, ma’am,” said the fat one, who was obviously the senior detective. “I am Detective Horace, this is Detective Joseph. We are here investigating the deaths of our husband and the other young men yesterday. Do you have any clue what could have happened?” Makoto rolled her eyes. “First of all, if you want to investigate their deaths, you have to get the facts straight. I was not Trowa’s wife, I was his fiancée. My name is Kino Makoto, perhaps you’ve heard of me? I own a family business that brings in, oh, about six to eight million a year. Certainly not the fortune five hundred, but good enough for me. Secondly, of course I know what happened, because that is exactly what I was thinking of last night, with my fiancée newly dead and my life in turmoil.”

Joseph looked at her speculatively and said, “There are those who say that your reactions last night were…less than that of a grieving lover should be.” ::What are they trying to pull?:: “Everyone reacts in their own way. I’ve been trained all my life to be in control, so I took control last night.” But Joseph didn’t look convinced. Makoto sighed and said, “Ok, do you want to know my theory? Trowa was in space during the war, maybe that had something to do with it.” Horace negated this, saying, “Then Mr. Winner would have been affected, not Mr.…well, Yuumichiwu. People also say that your relationship with Mr. Barton had become strained over the last month or so.” Makoto looked at him incredulously. “He asked me to marry him last night! Maybe it was something they ate that the rest of us didn’t!” Again, he tossed her theory in her face, “There was another reported case exactly like this in Germany. A man named Millardo Peacecraft died in his office. Do you know him?” Makoto rubbed her forehead, not answering the question because she knew that he already knew the answer. ::They think I did something to them. Can things get any worse?::

As soon as she asked that cursed question she regretted it. “What happened to your room, Makoto-sama?” asked Joseph. Makoto swung around and looked at him in disbelief. He had undone all the latchings to her tent and peered carefully into her tent while she had been arguing with his partner. “I…” ::How do I respond to this one??:: “It appears to me as if you were searching for something,” said Detective Horace. It was then that Makoto lost her patience and her will to deal with these two imbeciles. “I didn’t kill Trowa or the others, and that’s all that I am going to say. If you don’t get off my property, I am going to sue for rights violations. So far, I have several to choose from. Trespassing, harassment, threatening to use unneeded force, illegal search and seizure…I know my law, gentlemen. And I want you gone before I use my legal right to protect my property and call my tiger back to me.” The men left, but grudgingly, warning her not to leave town. ::As if I have another place to go. But Millardo dead? I didn’t kill anybody, obviously, but something is not kosher.::

Ami stared at the ringing phone, trying to bring herself to answer it. Finally, she bestirred her tired self to lift a hand and pick up a receiver. ::I never really realized how much energy crying takes out of a body.:: “Hello?” The voice on the other side of the receiver immediately burst into sobs. “Usagi? Usagi is that you?” After at long last getting control of herself, Usagi responded in the affirmative. A wave of guilt washed over Ami. ::I haven’t even told them that Millardo is…did she read it somewhere?:: “Usagi, I -” “AMI! Heero and Yuumichiwu and Trowa and WuFei and Duo, they’re all DEAD!” “WHAT?! How??” Usagi quickly described the scenario of the men’s death, which sounded way to close to what the police had said had happened to her husband. “Usagi, listen, is there any one of the Senshi that has a modicum of control over themselves?” Usagi snuffled and said, “Makoto…” Ami sighed in relief. “Get her for me please.” “I can’t.” “Well, why not?” Usagi wailed – there was simply no other word for it – and cried, “She’s trying to keep Rei from committing suicide!!” There was a long pause; filled only with Usagi’s heartbroken sobs. Ami said shortly, “I’m coming over,” and hung up the phone.

It was eight forty-five at night and the tent that held the mourning widows bustled with activity as Naru, Quatre and Makoto went from girl to girl, trying to see to their needs. The three were exhausted from their labors. It had been two days since the deaths of the man and since then, the widows had continued to be completely helpless as a result of their grief. Between them and the children who still somehow didn’t understand why their mommies were crying, or why their daddies weren’t there to make them feel better, they hadn’t found a moment to either sleep or suffer. The worst part was that most of the time, Naru couldn’t help because she was mourning with the widows, and thus was helpless more times than naught. And Quatre, bless him, was straining under the weight of his emotions. Makoto knew he would break soon, and she didn’t know what she would do without him. To top it all off, the detectives had been asking incriminating questions about her to the employees, which had of course leaked to the media, so Makoto was getting hell from her work as well.

As for the widows, each was mourning differently, in equally aggravating ways. Rei tried to commit suicide once, but Makoto had gotten her out of that by reminding her that as a priestess, she had responsibilities. So what if Makoto had had no idea what she was talking about, all that mattered was that it had worked. They were keeping a close eye on her anyways, and kept sharp objects away from her. Luna tried to be helpful, but it just didn’t work because she would stop halfway through a task and stare off into space. Right now, she was frozen over a pile of laundry that needed to be folded and sorted. Usagi had curled herself into a corner and had continuously cried softly when she wasn't sleeping. Minako didn’t cry softly. She cried LOUDLY, and she was absolutely unstoppable when she started. Her pretty face was blotchy and wet and he makeup made her look more like a clown than anything.

Makoto took a moment to rest, leaning her back against the side of the tent and closing her eyes. The blessed emptiness was still with her, and was the only thing keeping her from being as helpless as the rest. She felt Trowa’s absence from her daily life, but not from her mind. Perhaps that was the worst thing, because she had assumed that if he were to be in trouble, she would know, and that if he were to somehow die, she would feel his absence in the part of her mind that he filled. But as it was now, she kept having to remind herself that he was dead, and not just at some convention. She knew that if her emotions came back, she would completely fall apart. Therefore, she was developing an alteration in the spell that would not only set it permanently, but also keep it at full Power until she banished it.

When she heard the entrance to the tent open, she wasn’t alarmed because she had sent Quatre out for badly needed food. She quickly came to attention, though, when Luna came back to life and cried, “Ami-chan!” It was certainly Ami, but she looked so different that in the first fraction of a second, Makoto hadn’t recognized her. Her hair was a mess, missing the usual care that Ami took of it. Her skin was pallid and her eyes were missing their usual gleam. Her once proud walk was somehow shrunken and dejected; and she had obviously been crying. Makoto’s heart would have cringed if it had still been able to. But, as it was, she stood back as the widows quietly embraced the girl in a shadow of the happy rushes of the past. They didn’t stay long, but went back to their original spots and curled continued whatever it was they had been doing before.

Makoto sighed audibly, and Ami came to her side, both looking at the group. “How are they doing?” Ami asked in her quiet way. Makoto shook her head. “Don’t even get me started.” Ami looked at her, but when their eyes met, she saw something there that made her eyes widen and she looked away quickly. She said something in barely a whisper, and Makoto couldn’t catch it. “Pardon?” Ami looked at her again, avoiding her eyes, and said accusingly, “Luna said we were not to use that spell.” Makoto said caustically, “Someone needs to sane here, and it obviously isn’t going to be Luna.” Ami looked away, not convinced, but that wasn’t Makoto’s problem. “I heard about Millardo. I’m sorry.” Ami nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know. The worst part is that they will not let me have his body. They say he is going to be held until the -” “Investigation is completed, I know.” Ami stared at her and then said in a rush, “Mako-chan, there are just too many parallels in our stories for them to be unrelated.” Makoto considered this. ::But if that is true, what could that mean?:: She pushed the question hastily away and replied, “I agree. But, we can’t talk here, or they’ll start up again.”

Just as Makoto said that, Quatre walked into the tent, his arms laden with grocery bags. His eyes swept over Ami, but he didn’t seem to really know that he was there. He walked past Makoto and put the food in the middle of the floor. Usagi immediately crawled over to it and began tearfully stuffing her face, but she was the only one who even gave a pretense of a desire to eat. Quatre sighed gustily and said, “I don’t think I brought enough food again.” Then he turned and literally stared at Ami for a few disconcerting minutes. Finally, he asked, “Are you staying?” Ami’s eyes flickered to Makoto’s before she answered, “Um…yes.” Quatre looked at her, desperation clear in his eyes. “Then – you can help?” Ami nodded.Quatre immediately collapsed into a sobbing and gasping ball of tears. Naru came over and cradled in him in her arms, while most of the other girls began crying as well. “Is there anyone else in any condition to talk about what happened?” asked Ami over the din. Ami looked at Luna, who had stopped mid-way into getting dressed for bed, with one foot in her pajama pants, and was yet again staring at thin air. “I would say not,” she replied. “You and I can talk in my office.” Ami and Makoto left the tent, determined to finally talk their peace about certain details that had been bothering them – like what had killed their beloveds.