A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I've recently moved houses and had a bunch of assignments to complete. The good news is that I've officially settled in and have holidays for the next 3 months. This will give me heaps of time to continue (and hopefully finish) this story.

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

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 9

Kokoro smiled politely as her latest customer finished their spaghetti and turned in their plate to her. They even gave her a generous tip, which she greatly appreciated.

"Have a good night!" she beamed as they left the diner.

Taking a quick look at the clock, Kokoro noticed that it was now 10:52pm. She suddenly felt anxious. This afternoon, the teenager was more prepared than ever to tell her mother how she truly felt about her college classes. Now, she felt terrified, but she knew it needed to be done. She was tired of living her mother's dream.

The waitress was currently cleaning down the tables when a tall figure entered the diner. She stopped what she was doing and greeted the customer.

"Hello, Bass," she smiled. She then noticed something different. "Where is Rig? He's usually with you at this time."

Bass shrugged. "I have no idea. He said he had to do something, but he wouldn't tell me what."

"Hm, that sounds odd," Kokoro voiced her thoughts. "I also apologise if you want to order anything, but I'm afraid I can't serve you. I'm about to close the diner. Plus, my mother would be worried if I arrived home late."

There was a huge part of her that wanted to serve Bass, but she knew it was no use. She was only creating distractions because of her fear of conflict. However, she knew she would get into trouble if she arrived home late.

"Argh… That's okay," Bass said, although he seemed to be annoyed. Kokoro noted how the atmosphere had become more eerie.

Bass remained quiet for a short moment before coming to a decision. "I'll just go home, then."

"A-Alright... Sorry, again!"

When Bass left, Kokoro resumed her cleaning duties. She was halfway through the same table when the doorbell rang once more. She stopped her duties for a second time and approached the customer.

"I'm sorry, but we're clos-"

Kokoro was cut off by being hit with a peculiar object. She flinched as she was repeatedly hit and begged her attacker to stop.

"Stop! P-Please…"

However, her words had no avail as she was then pushed against the table. She fell to the ground in an instant and shook in fear as some napkins fell around her. With tearful eyes, she looked up at her attacker. They were looking down at her with a dark glint in their eyes.

Kokoro decided to take a chance and hurried over to the back room. She grabbed the first thing she saw - a frying pan - and decided to use it for self defense. She then headed back to the front room with trembling hands and approached her attacker with caution.

"S-Stay back, or… Or I'll hit y-"

Unfortunately for Kokoro, her plan had failed since the attacker quickly lunged at the teenager and snatched the frying pan out of her hands.

It was at that moment when Kokoro took her last breath.

The car ride to the Douglas residence was awfully quiet. The death of Kokoro had hit both Hitomi and Eliot really hard. It was difficult to believe that someone so young and innocent could have their life unfairly taken away from them.

When they made it to their destination, Hitomi exited the car and shut the door with a sigh. She wasn't prepared to face Helena. Knowing how overdramatic the opera singer could be, Hitomi was afraid to see her reaction towards Kokoro's death. When she rang the doorbell, both detectives were soon met with the youthful face belonging to Marie Rose.

"Oh, hello, detectives," she greeted. "I thought you two were Kokoro… How may I help you?"

"It's important, Marie," Eliot said, showing her his badge. "May we come in and see Helena?"

Marie Rose nodded. "Yes, of course. Please come in."

The young servant led the two detectives over to a small room down the hallway. The small area consisted of numerous bookshelves fitted against the walls. There were many different figurines, antiques, and books displayed upon them. Helena was seated in the middle of the room, currently keeping herself warm in front of the fireplace. When she turned around, her smile faded.

"Oh… I was expecting Kokoro," the French woman admitted. "But I suppose I have some time to talk with you both… Is this regarding the robbery which happened here?"

"Unfortunately, no," Hitomi answered. "This is about Kokoro."

The karateka looked over at Eliot in the hopes that he would finish her sentence. He sighed in defeat and turned to Helena with a serious expression. "Kokoro was murdered at the diner last night."

The opera singer dropped the book she was holding and covered her mouth. She was clearly surprised by the news.

"H-How could this be?!" she asked them. "Everyone liked her. Who would do such an unforgivable act?!"

"We don't know but we plan to find out," Hitomi answered. "Speaking of which, Eliot and I would like to know where you were last night around 11pm?"

"Me? Oh, that's easy," Helena said with a wave of her hand. "I was knitting in this room, actually, with Marie Rose."

"It's true," Marie Rose commented, pointing at the coffee table next to Helena. On the table were four knitting needles as well as some green yarn.

Hitomi made her way over to Helena who seemed to be troubled by the news. She picked her book off the floor and handed it over to the opera singer. She took the book with a sad smile.

"Thank you for taking the time to visit me," Helena told her. "I still cannot believe she is dead… What a shame…"

"We know you were expecting Kokoro to visit you today," Eliot said. "Apparently you had some news to tell her. Do you mind telling us what that news is? It might help us out with the case."

Helena looked at the young man with a frown. "I don't think this information will help your investigation, but I may as well tell someone…" She then took a deep breath. "As it turns out… Kokoro is apparently my half sister."

Hitomi was shocked. In a way, it now explained why Helena had a great liking to the young waitress. It also explained why Miyako was wary of Helena conversing with her daughter.

"Oh wow, that's very unexpected…" Hitomi replied.

"I know. I even had some other news that could have changed her life," Helena said. "My father died on a trip to France a few months ago. I only received his will a few weeks ago. Apparently he had left half of his money to me, and the other half to Kokoro. That's how I found out we were related…"

"So that's the news that could have changed her life…" Hitomi said, finally putting the pieces together. "With all that new money in her pocket, Kokoro would have been able to pay her bills as well as her college fees."

Hitomi couldn't help but feel even more terrible about Kokoro's death now. The young woman's life not only would have changed if she stood up to her mother, but her inheritance could have greatly helped with her financial struggles. Overall, it seemed like the waitress was out of luck.

Hitomi looked at Helena with a smile and placed her hand on her shoulder as a source of comfort.

"I'm sure Kokoro would have loved to find out you were her sister," she said warmly.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me," Helena replied. Her face then hardened. "I demand to find out who did this to my sister. I would say this was a personal attack against me, but no one except Marie and myself knew that we were related… And Marie was with me for a majority of the night, so I know it wasn't her…"

Eliot nodded in understanding as he looked at Helena directly in the eyes. "We will find out who did this to Kokoro. But for now, we have other suspects to question. Thank you for your time."

"It is no problem," Helena replied. She then turned to Marie. "Please show them out, Marie. When you come back, we can continue knitting."

"Of course, Lady Helena."

After being escorted outside by the young servant, Hitomi and Eliot made their way back to the main part of town. Once when they passed the diner, Hitomi was grateful that Johnny had listened to her advice. The diner was still closed, and hopefully it would be like that for a few days. There was no way anyone in the world would even think to eat at a diner on the same day someone was murdered.

As Eliot continued driving, Hitomi squinted at something in the distance. She thought she saw something purple… A small smile appeared on the karateka's face when she realised it was Ayane. She was currently standing against a cage, seemingly looking at the diner from afar. Kasumi was standing next to her.

"Eliot, park the car over here…" she said, pointing to the curb ahead.

Eliot did as he was told and parked the car on the side of the road. Hitomi quickly exited the car and made her way over to the two sisters. After making sure that the car was locked, the British man followed Hitomi.

"What are you two doing?" Hitomi asked them.

"We're just looking at all the people gathering outside the diner," Kasumi said with a frown. "I can't believe Kokoro was murdered…"

"Yeah, about that…" the German woman trailed off, now making eye contact with Ayane. "Where were you last night, Ayane? Around 11pm?"

Ayane rolled her eyes in response. "I know you probably think that I murdered Kokoro, given my history with her… But I didn't do it. I was at the Temple of the Dragon with Kasumi."

"She's right," Kasumi confirmed. "We were there for a few hours… We had a big argument about me not arriving at the diner on time, but we finally reconciled."

"That's great news!" Eliot cheered, crossing Ayane's name off the suspect list. He then looked at the violet haired teen and noticed that she was looking at him weirdly. "I… I mean… yeah, one less suspect. Yay."

Ayane rolled her eyes at Eliot. Hitomi couldn't help but giggle.

"If you're looking for a suspect, then I suggest you should speak to that man over there," Kasumi said, pointing at someone a few feet away. Hitomi turned around to see that she was referring to Brad Wong. "I've seen him flirt with Kokoro a few times… She didn't seem to reciprocate his feelings."

"That sounds like a good idea," Hitomi agreed. "Alright, thank you for confirming your alibis with us."

Before giving a chance for Kasumi and Ayane to respond, both detectives immediately ran over to Brad. The middle aged man was standing next to a wall of wrestling posters outside the gym. Other than his usual tipsy behaviour, he seemed to be distracted.

"Brad? Are you okay?" Eliot asked his roommate.

The British man was slightly frustrated when Brad ignored him. He then placed his hand on the drunk man's shoulder and shook it lightly. "Hey. You hear me? What's wrong, Brad?"

Brad looked at Eliot for a quick second before freaking out. "It… It was my fault."

"Are you admitting to the crime of murdering Kokoro?" Hitomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?..." Brad asked. "No! I didn't murder that girl. What I mean is... I could have prevented the murder from happening…"

"What on earth are you talking about this time?!" Eliot asked. He was clearly frustrated.

"I was standing right at this very spot last night!" Brad told Eliot. "I don't remember much, but I saw a shadowy figure entering the diner. Then the figure left and then it came back, I think… I can't be completely sure, though, since I was drunk."

"Was the first shadowy figure the same as the second one, or were they two completely different people?" Hitomi asked.

"I don't know," Brad shrugged at the German woman. "Everything was really blurry… But what I do know is that both figures were tall."

Hitomi and Eliot shared a look. There was a possibility that Brad's account could help them solve this case. It was easier for them to talk about the case now as well since Brad began to wander off in the background.

"Okay, so Brad said that the suspect was tall," Hitomi noted. "On our suspect list for this case, that only includes Rig and Bass. The other suspects have either already had their alibis confirmed, or they are too short to fit the description."

"I would add Lisa to the tall list," Eliot added. "She's taller than most women around here."

Hitomi frowned. She had never met Lisa before so she didn't know what she looked like, but it seemed as though she was now one of the biggest suspects.

Eliot then looked at his watch before turning to his partner once more. "Our shift is about to end, so I think we should split our suspects."

"That sounds like a good idea," Hitomi agreed.

"Okay, great. I can question Lisa since I usually pass by the hospital on my way home."

"And Rig lives next door to me, so I can approach him at any time," Hitomi concluded.

Eliot and Hitomi decided to continue their conversation about the case as they made their way to the car once more.

"I'll drive you home," Eliot offered as he applied his seat belt. "The hospital is only a few blocks away from your apartment."

Hitomi thanked Eliot when she exited the police car for the second time today. She looked at her apartment building with a sigh before stepping inside. As she made her way down the narrow hallway, Hitomi felt a huge relief when she heard some quiet music seeping through the paper thin walls. She headed over to Rig's room and knocked on the wooden door.

It didn't take long for Rig to answer the door. A smile appeared on his face when he saw that it was Hitomi.

"Oh, hey. Nice to see you stopping by… Come in," he greeted, opening the door completely.

Hitomi smiled at the mysterious man as she stepped inside his home. She made her way over to the couch and took a seat. Rig soon joined her after grabbing two glasses of water.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, handing her a glass.

"Sort of…" Hitomi said, taking a small sip. "Kokoro was murdered last night."

Rig's eyes widened slightly. "That Japanese girl at the diner? That's a shame…" he said. "... I don't understand what this has to do with me, though."

Hitomi couldn't help but arch a brow at Rig's tone. Just like Rolande's investigation, something didn't seem right. Anyway, she continued. "Oh, uh, Bass mentioned the other day that you both usually hang out at the diner during most nights… Where were you last night, exactly?"

The detective noted how Rig suddenly gripped his glass cup tighter. She tried her best to focus on his face instead. It seemed like he was struggling to come up with an answer. "… I was here."

"That's funny, because I don't think you were," Hitomi argued. "I don't remember hearing any music last night. I know this because everything was really quiet when I tried to call my father."

The look on Rig's face suddenly changed. His expression seemed to hint danger. It was hard for Hitomi to believe that this was the same man who was just talking to her kindly a few moments ago.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" he snapped. Hitomi's eyes widened at his choice of words. "I have done nothing wrong. Ever since I arrived at this stupid town, people have been judging me because I apparently look like a bad guy. I can't say I'm not disappointed, though… I never expected you to judge me, too."

Hitomi stood up in defense. She really wanted to clear the air. "Rig, I'm sorry, but… you have to admit it sounds strange that you would lie about being here when-"

"Get the hell out of my room," he cut her off.

"Wh-what?"

"I SAID GET OUT!" he shouted, pointing at the door.

Hitomi's expression changed. She now glared at the man standing in front of her. The karateka was honestly surprised by his rude behaviour. With a great amount of anger clouding her mind, Hitomi placed her glass of water onto the coffee table before storming out of his room. Once when she was in the hallway, Rig shut the door on her face. With a heavy grunt, the detective made her way over to her own room and slammed her own door shut, too.

After hanging her coat on the clothes rack, Hitomi headed over to the couch and decided to watch some television in order to take her mind off things and calm down. After a short while of channel surfing, Hitomi finally decided to watch some cartoons. She wasn't really into them anymore, but there was no other channel that looked as appealing right now.

Hitomi had only begun to become invested with the cartoon when her phone suddenly rang. The contact ID told her that it was Eliot. Knowing that his call was possibly related to Kokoro's murder case, Hitomi turned the television off and answered the phone.

"Hey, Eliot. Did you find any information?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I just spoke to Lisa and she told me that she was with Tina at the time of the murder. I just need to confirm that with her, but I'll do that tomorrow since it's getting late… How did the interview with Rig go?"

"It went terribly," Hitomi replied. "He lied to me about his whereabouts and then got awfully defensive about it… He's definitely suspicious."

"You're right, that is suspicious."

"He also kicked me out of his room," Hitomi added. There was a pause from Eliot. She wasn't sure if their call had been disconnected. "... Eliot? Hello?"

"No, I'm still here," he told her. "But that was really rude of him. Would you like me to talk to him? Because I can."

If there was anything Hitomi admired about Eliot, it was definitely his determination to defend women. Although he usually gave mixed signals to certain women, Hitomi couldn't help but appreciate his kindness.

"No, that's okay. I can defend myself," she giggled. "Anyway, I better go. I still have dinner to make."

"Okay, that's cool," the British man replied. "I'll meet you tomorrow at the police station."

"That sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

After hanging up, Hitomi attempted to make dinner but she failed due to her bad mood still lingering around. For some reason, she always made so many mistakes whenever she was distracted. Her distraction right now was Rig and his sudden change of behaviour towards her. Even though she was angry, there was a part of her that was worried for him as well.

Even though she knew everyone should be deemed innocent until proven guilty, Hitomi couldn't help but delve into her growing suspicions of Rig. It was possible that she was living in the same apartment with a murderer.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

...

INVESTIGATION PROCESS #2

Time of murder: Between 11pm and 6am

Place of murder: Inside Johnny's Diner

Murder Weapon: Frying pan, [unidentified cylindric object]

Who found the body: Johnny

...

INVESTIGATION #2 SUSPECTS (UPDATED)

Ayane: [Suspect because of her past conflict with Kokoro] She was at the Temple of the Dragon with Kasumi (cleared by Kasumi)

Lisa Hamilton: [Suspect because she was oddly close to Kokoro] Claims she was with Tina. Needs to be confirmed.

Helena Douglas: [Suspect because of Miyako's personal reasons] She was knitting with Marie Rose at her Lorelei estate (cleared by Marie Rose)

Bass Armstrong: [Suspect because he is a regular customer at night]

Rig: [Suspect because he is a regular customer at night] Claims he was in his apartment at the time. No alibi.

Brad Wong: [Suspect because of his conflict with Kokoro] Says he was standing in front of the gym when he saw two different figures enter the diner. No alibi.

Leifang: [Suspect because of her tempered actions]

...

INVESTIGATION #2 CLUES (UPDATED)

~ The diner is messy - signs of struggle.

~ Bloodstain on the doorknob - The other doorknob at the back room is clean. The murderer must have washed their hands before leaving.

~ Frying pan - The only culinary item to be squeaky clean. There are a few dents underneath. Confirmed to be one of the murder weapon(s).

~ Kokoro's face is terribly bruised - there are no marks on her body.

~ Facial injuries - It looks as though she was hit with something small and possibly of a cylindric shape... This is another murder weapon that hasn't been identified.

~ Scentless detergent - Purchased by Leifang. Cleans the bloodied mess on the frying pan but doesn't take away the scent.

~ Kokoro's backpack - only music notes and pencils were found inside. Where are her keys to lock the diner?

~ Unidentified figure(s) - Brad witnessed a tall figure enter the diner, leave, and then re-enter. Was this one person or two separate people? Or was Brad drinking too much?