A/N: Okay, we're finally at the point where Hitomi starts her official first day as a detective... This is where things start to move along.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tecmo and Team Ninja. Please don't sue me.

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 4

By the time Hitomi, Eliot, and Bayman arrived back at the police station, they were exhausted. Bayman in particular was still annoyed that he had gotten lost inside Helena's mansion. When they entered the building, they found Gen Fu at Niki's old reception desk. He seemed to be looking for something.

"How did the investigation go? And does anyone have a pencil?"

Eliot handed him the pencil from his breast pocket. "The investigation went well, sir. No one was hurt and only a few items were stolen, but we plan on finding them soon."

"That is a very good plan, Eliot," Gen Fu nodded. He then looked at Hitomi and passed her a plastic package with some clothes inside. "This is your uniform. I forgot to give it to you earlier, so I apologise for that… It seems as though my old age is creeping up on me."

"Oh no, that's okay!" Hitomi reassured the man. "And thank you for the uniform. I'll make sure to wear it when I come to work tomorrow."

"Very good," he said, grabbing the nearest file and writing something on it. "Anyway, I'm almost done with these reports for the night, so you three are free to leave."

"Great," Bayman said with a sigh of relief. He made his way to the door. "I'm outta here."

"Oh, but before you go home, Bayman…" Gen Fu started. "Would you be able to drive Hitomi and Eliot back to their homes? It's pretty dark outside and I don't believe they arrived here by any means of transport."

Bayman gripped on the door handle a little tighter than expected. He then relaxed his shoulders and turned around to face Eliot and Hitomi with a stone expression on his face. "... Yeah, sure."

"Excellent. I will see you all tomorrow."

When Hitomi arrived home, she thanked Bayman and headed up the apartment building. Once when the detective was inside her room, she made her way over to her bed and let herself fall face-first on top of it. Hitomi didn't realise how much she had missed her old mattress since she was forced to sleep in her car for the past four days. She was just glad to be home. Today had been a long day.

It was only 6am when Hitomi opened her eyes. She decided to wake up early in order to get some of her old karate training back into her daily routine. After spending the past two years running around fields and climbing over giant obstacles, it felt refreshing to go back to her trustworthy karate techniques. However, she soon came to a stop when she received a text.

Hayate: Not sure if you're up yet, but what do you say to some coffee at the diner?

Hitomi smiled at the text and responded that she would meet him there in fifteen minutes. This would be a good chance to grab breakfast as well since she would be at work for the majority of the day.

The karateka immediately hurried over to her room in order to put her uniform on for the very first time. Once she did so, she looked at the mirror through every angle and smiled in approval at what she saw. Her white buttoned top contrasted well with her navy blue mini skirt. After applying her short blue tie and white gloves, she grabbed her keys and headed outside. [1]

When she made it to the diner, Hitomi saw that Hayate was already inside. He was currently sitting at the end booth, reading the menu. His fishnet singlet and black leather jacket made it look like he was preparing to model for a photoshoot.

"You are… eight minutes late," Hayate joked as he checked his wristwatch.

Hitomi made her way over to the booth and sat on the opposite seat. "Sorry. I was too busy admiring my new uniform."

"Speaking of your uniform, tell me about the course you did. Was it as tough?"

"Kind of, but you know I always like a challenge," Hitomi replied. "I'm just glad it's over. I really missed everyone."

Hayate grinned. "Yeah, they missed you too... but not as much as m-"

"Welcome to Johnny's Diner!" a young woman interrupted. She looked at Hitomi with a genuine smile. "I've never seen you here before, but my name is Mila. What can I get for you?"

Mila was a young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties. She had wide brown eyes, and multiple freckles were lightly scattered all over her face. What gave her a spunky appearance was her hair. It was dyed red with black streaks and cropped in a short fashion. This seemed to contrast with her feminine maid dress. Unlike Leifang's blue design, Mila's was a dark green colour.

"I'm Hitomi! I'll just have some bacon and eggs, please." She then turned to Hayate. "What are you going to order?"

"Oh, he already ordered before you arrived," Mila answered for him. "You're the new detective, right? I've heard a lot about you."

Hitomi nodded. "I hope to be of use to the town. How long have you worked here for?"

"Almost six months. I usually share my shifts with Leifang," she said with a smile. "Anyway, I better make those meals. I'll be right back!"

When Mila disappeared to the back room, Hitomi focused on Hayate once more. There were plenty of things she wanted to know about his life ever since she had left for her course.

"So, how has everything been with you since I've been gone? Tell me everything."

"Everything? Okay," Hayate said, clearing his throat. "Well, my life has become much easier ever since Kasumi and Ayane started to get along. It's kind of a miracle… And all I really do these days is train at the dojo and teach my students during their classes. That's it, really."

"That's it?" Hitomi asked. She frowned since she expected him to mention Lisa.

"... Oh yeah. I've also been in contact with Ryu - but only once every few months. His father is doing a little better, so that's good. I hope he'll be able to come back someday."

Hitomi was glad that Hayate had been in touch with his best friend, but that isn't what she wanted him to tell her. With a sigh, Hitomi decided to beat around the bush because she already knew how oblivious Hayate was as a person.

"Rumour has it that you dated a doctor… Who is she?"

"Oh, Lisa? Yeah, we dated for a while…"

"How long did you two date?"

Hayate shrugged. "Just a little over a year. We broke up a few weeks ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that… Do you miss her?" Hitomi asked. She couldn't help but dig deeper with her curiosity.

"Sometimes, yeah. I was really into her until a few weeks ago… I had to break up with her because I realised I was thinking too much about someone else."

Hayate's sudden smile made Hitomi blush. She acknowledged his romantic hints, but she also knew that it was wrong.

"That's not something to smile about, Hayate," she said with a stern expression. "But still, I believe it is good to break up with someone instead of stringing them along."

"What can I say? I always do the right thing," Hayate shrugged. He then licked his lips in anticipation as Mila finally delivered their breakfast.

Hitomi was only a few bites into her bacon when the doorbell rang. She was surprised to see Leifang who had entered the diner in a rush. She ran to the back room and soon came out with a pair of binoculars. She then headed over to the front window and began to scan the area in front of her.

"Why are you looking at the gym?" Hitomi asked her.

Leifang looked away from her binoculars and took a quick glance at her best friend. "Because I think I can see Jann Lee running on the treadmill from here."

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Just go and talk to him."

"No. I'm not going to admit my feelings to him… I'm still in the stalking stage right now, Hitomi. I've already told you this."

Hayate looked at both girls with a confused expression. "I have no idea what's going on, and I don't think I want to know..."

"Oh, be quiet and eat your pancakes!" Leifang pouted at him. She then turned to Mila. "Have you done the dishes yet?"

Mila shook her head. "Nope. You know I can't stand the detergent. The scent makes me feel nauseous…"

"I still think that's just an excuse to get out of doing the dirty work," Leifang poked her tongue at her workmate. "But whatever, I'll do it. I need to distract myself anyway."

Hitomi turned to Mila. "Scents make you nauseous?"

"Yep, especially the really strong ones. If we had a scentless detergent, then that would make my job easier."

"It would make my job easier, too," Leifang commented from the back room. "I should try and find a scentless detergent at the supermarket. That way, you can do the dishes for once."

"Mila can't help how her body reacts," Hayate shrugged. "That's like me when I can't do the laundry and my sisters yell at me for no reason."

"Hayate, you're just lazy," Hitomi teased. She stared at her now empty plate before pushing it away from her. "Anyway, I better get to work. I'll see you all later… And I'm glad we could catch up, Hayate."

When Hitomi made her way over to the police station, she got out of her car and made her way inside the building. She was surprised to see that Gen Fu, Eliot, and Bayman were already there. They stopped their conversation and looked at her; each with a different expression on their faces.

"I… I didn't know we had a meeting," she said in embarrassment. "Please forgive my rudeness."

"This isn't a meeting," Gen Fu told her. "We were just talking about the current cases we need to solve."

Hitomi nodded in response. She was relieved that she didn't already screw up on her (proper) first day.

"As I was saying," Gen Fu continued, "the crime rate around here is higher than ever. What I suggest is that we should all split our cases."

"I'll take the robbery at the Douglas residence," Bayman offered a little too quickly.

"Very well," Gen Fu said. He then turned to Hitomi and Eliot. "Since you two are partners, the both of you can investigate Rolande's murder."

Bayman crossed his arms and looked at Gen Fu. "I agree with that choice. We might as well give these two the chance to be real detectives." He then turned to Hitomi and Eliot. "Don't stuff this up."

Hitomi stared at the Russian man in silence as he grabbed his keys and left the room. Bayman was a very strange man. From what Hitomi knew, he used to be a ruthless assassin who killed not only for the money, but also for the thrill of it. One day he changed and decided to help the town. She was amazed at how he could ignore so much hate from certain people. Gen Fu seemed to rely on him as a trustworthy person, so the karateka instantly knew that she could place her trust in him, too. There was no doubt about that.

"Come on, Hitomi," Eliot's deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "Let's go to my office so we can talk about the information so far."

When they headed inside Eliot's office, he closed the door behind him and insisted for Hitomi to take a seat. Once she did so, the British man spread out the numerous papers of Rolande's investigation file onto his desk.

"So far we know that it is possible that Rolande was murdered around 11pm. This is because of Leifang's account," he said. "This obviously happened behind Maxwell's Gymnasium. I'd say that was a perfect area for a murder to take place."

"But why was Rolande there in the first place?" Hitomi questioned. "That's what I don't understand."

Eliot cleared his throat. "I saw a few daisies near her hands. Actually, there are a few flowers behind the gym… I'd say she was there late at night to take some of those flowers and sell them as her own."

"I guess that makes sense," Hitomi said. "She and Leon have a gardening business, after all… What other clues did you find at the scene?"

"There weren't that many clues," Eliot admitted. "There were a few fallen trash cans near her body. I assume that she fell over them… Also, her face was was hit so much that she looked unrecognisable. Other than her head and face, her ribs were also hit multiple times. They were pretty much broken."

"Do you know what the murder weapon was?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes. I found a dumbbell near the back door of the gym. There was blood all over it." Eliot quickly grabbed a photo from the file. It was a picture of the murder weapon itself. Other than the large amount of blood, Hitomi could see that the dumbbell was yellow and green. "As you can see, the killer didn't really bother to hide it." [2]

Hitomi noticed that as well. "You're right. That's really odd… So, who are the suspects?"

"I spoke to Leon after the investigation and he told me that Hayate and Lisa disliked their business because of some drug rumours. Apparently, they are really against the use of drugs - as they should be. I even asked Leon if this was true and he claimed they were lying."

"That's good," Hitomi replied. "Are there any other suspects?"

"Yep," Eliot answered. "I also asked the gym manager who had been there that night. She said the gym was pretty much empty around the time of the murder. She told me that she remembered seeing Rig, Jann Lee, Bass Armstrong, Mila, and Zack… Zack is actually the one who found Rolande's body that morning, so I'm a little suspicious of him right now."

Hitomi gulped at Eliot's comment. She considered Zack to be a really good friend and she didn't want to believe that he would be capable of murder.

"Have you questioned any of the suspects?"

"Not yet," Eliot confirmed. "Gen Fu wanted me to put the case on hold until you arrived back in town. I think we should start questioning these people today. Who should we interrogate first?"

Hitomi gave a quick thought about it until she came up with a plan. "I think we should go to the diner. I was there earlier this morning and Mila was working on her shift. I was with Hayate as well, so there is a chance that he is still there."

"Okay," Eliot said, grabbing his keys. "Let's go."

Hitomi felt as though she was currently going in circles. Of course, this is because she was just at the diner and now she was going back there again. When she and Eliot went inside, Hitomi was glad to see that Hayate was still there. He was currently in what seemed to be a deep conversation with his younger sister, Ayane. They were being served by Mila. But what grabbed Hitomi's attention was Zack. He flashed her a huge smile as soon as they shared eye contact.

Eliot was about to approach Mila until Hitomi stopped him. He looked at her with a confused expression.

"Mila looks a bit busy right now. I think we should question Zack first. Besides, he's the one who found the body."

"You're right," Eliot agreed. He then headed over to Zack. Hitomi followed along.

"Why hello, officer. What can I do for you today?" he asked Hitomi in a playful tone. She lightly smacked his shoulder in return.

"Zack, please," Hitomi tried not to laugh. "We're here to question you about Rolande's death."

Zack's face fell as soon as Hitomi mentioned Rolande. Beads of sweat began to form on his face. It looked as though he was worried.

"If you think that I did it, then I swear it wasn't me!"

Hitomi shook her head. "Zack-"

"I have a great life! Why would I want to ruin that?!" he continued. "Have you two seen the slop they call 'food' in prison?! There is no way I would give up my perfect life - and stomach - for that!"

"Zack, can you please calm down?" Hitomi tried to shush him. "We're only here to ask about the events of that night."

The African American male stopped talking and gave out a small chuckle. "Oh, right, how silly of me. Go ahead. I'll answer anything."

"Great to hear," Eliot said, clicking his pen. "What were you doing at the gym that night?"

"I was there to train with Mila," he explained. "I've been teaching her MMA lately."

"MMA?"

"Mixed Martial Arts," Zack answered.

"Oh. Right," Eliot chuckled. "And why were you at the back of the gym during the following morning?"

Zack was starting to look even more worried now. He sighed since he wanted to get the interview over and done with. "I was supposed to meet Mila at the gym around 9:00am so we could train some more, but I showed up early. I was finishing my protein bar, so I went to the trash cans behind the alleyway to throw it out, and that's when I saw… the body…"

Hitomi felt bad for Zack since she had never seen him so terrified before. He was always so confident around her.

"Thank you for telling us, Zack. I know how hard it can be," Hitomi told him. "Last question… Do you remember anything weird happening that night?"

"Zack looks a little shaken up, but I can answer that for you!" Mila interrupted with a cheerful tone. She then pulled a serious face. "We were training in the main room until a fight happened between Jann Lee and Rig. That's when Zack and I went to the spare boxing room. We wanted to get away from all the commotion and we were basically there until 1:30am. We agreed to meet again at 9:00am but we never did because of Zack finding the dead body."

Eliot quickly wrote everything down on his notepad and looked at Mila with gratitude once he was done. "Thank you for going into great detail. Since you both are each other's alibis, your names are officially cleared."

Mila gave a small smile and looked at Zack. He also had a smile on his face, but it looked forced. It was clear that he was traumatised from the experience.

Hitomi decided to leave Zack and Mila alone for now since it was clear that they had nothing to do with Rolande's death. She, along with Eliot, then decided to approach Hayate and Ayane about the situation.

"Hayate, we would like to ask you some questions about Rolande's death," Hitomi said. She then looked at Eliot but he seemed to be too focused on Ayane's hair.

"Yeah, sure," Hayate responded.

The German girl looked through her notes before proceeding. "We were given a tip that you and Lisa Hamilton had a strong dislike for Leon and Rolande's apparent 'services'."

"That's true," Hayate confirmed. "Lisa and I didn't really like their intentions."

"Do you have any proof that they sell drugs?"

"Well… no. It was just a theory that Lisa had. Apparently they were always collecting and selling weird plants at night."

"Okay," Hitomi said as she wrote the information down on Eliot's notepad. "And where were you on the night she was murdered?"

"I was with Ayane at our house," Hayate said, pointing at his purple haired sister.

"He's telling the truth," Ayane confirmed. "We were fighting about whether soy sauce goes with sushi or not…"

"It wasn't an argument," Hayate disagreed. "It was a debate."

"It was stupid," Ayane mumbled, crossing her arms. "I can't believe we spent three hours talking about it."

"Well, I enjoyed the debate," Hayate admitted. He then realised he was getting off track and turned his gaze to Hitomi once more. "Anyway, that's my alibi in the clear. Also, I don't believe that Lisa would kill anyone… especially for a theory. She's not like that."

Hitomi frowned at Hayate's response. However, they would still need to interview her later as well. She decided to thank them and take her business with Eliot elsewhere.

"Thank you for your time," she said with a smile. "Let's go, Eliot… uh… Eliot?"

Hitomi tried to get Eliot's attention but it looked as though he was still mesmerised by Ayane's hair.

"I… I really like your hair… a-and your eyes," he finally said to her.

Ayane was surprised by Eliot's random gesture of kindness. "Thanks… I've actually seen you around before."

"Really?" Eliot seemed shocked. "Oh wow. I actually don't think I've seen you… I guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings."

Ayane's face immediately turned sour after hearing his comment. Hitomi internally face palmed herself. She could tell that Eliot was slowly digging his grave.

"Well, that's just fine with me," she got off her seat with a loud thud. "I don't really care if people don't notice me. In fact, I'm used to it…"

And with that, Ayane stormed out of the diner. It wasn't long when Hayate quickly trailed after her. Hitomi hoped that he would be able to calm Ayane down. She then looked at Eliot who seemed to realise how bad his comment had sounded. He looked at the floor with guilt.

"I didn't mean to offend her," he said with heavy eyes. "I feel so bad."

A/N: There are still some suspects that need to be questioned, but that will have to wait until the next chapter. And who knows... maybe the murderer isn't even one of the suspects. ;) Or maybe I'm just trying to trick you.

Also, I've decided to stick with Ein's clothes in this story since all Hayate really wears is his ninja attire. If Ein never existed, then I don't know what I would have done.

...

INVESTIGATION PROCESS #1

Time of murder: Around 11pm

Place of murder: Behind Maxwell's Gymnasium

Murder Weapon: Dumbbell

Who found the body: Zack

...

INVESTIGATION #1 SUSPECTS

Hayate: [Suspect because of a drug theory] Claims he was at home arguing with Ayane during the incident (cleared by Ayane)

Lisa Hamilton: [Suspect because of a drug theory]

Rig: [Suspect because he was at the gym that night]

Jann Lee: [Suspect because he was at the gym that night]

Bass Armstrong: [Suspect because he was at the gym that night]

Mila: [Suspect because she was at the gym that night] She was training in the spare boxing room with Zack until 1:30am (cleared by Zack)

Zack: [Suspect because he was at the gym that night] He was training in the spare boxing room with Mila until 1:30am (cleared by Mila)

...

INVESTIGATION #1 CLUES

~ Rolande was murdered around 11pm - earlier confirmed by Leifang.

~ A few daisies were found near Rolande's hands - is there a motive? Was she going to sell them as her own?

~ There were a few fallen trash cans near her body - did she fall over them while she was being attacked? Were they already like that? Did someone else kick them over?

~ Rolande's face, head and ribs were hit so much that she was unrecognisable - the murderer must be strong.

~ A dumbbell was found at the scene of the crime - there is blood all over it. Confirmed to be the murder weapon.

...

[1] - The police uniforms are actually the costumes from the DOA5U Police Uniform dlc.

[2] - The yellow and green dumbbell is actually a tribute to the same one in DOAX2. It can be found at Zack of All Trades.

...

Until next time!