A/N: I'm so sorry for updating so late! I really should try and post every two weeks again...

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

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 10

Hitomi woke up the next morning and fluttered her heavy eyes since her vision was blurry. She couldn't remember much until she laid her eyes on the half empty pizza box lying next to her. It made her recollect some of last night's events. As it turned out, Hitomi continued channel surfing after receiving her pizza from the delivery guy and eventually fell asleep on the couch.

The young karateka stretched her arms to the ceiling, hoping that her newest neck cramp would soon go away. She then headed over to the kitchen and yawned as she grabbed two eggs from the fridge. Since her mind was more clear compared to last night, she decided to make some bacon and eggs for breakfast.

After enjoying her perfectly cooked breakfast, Hitomi changed into her detective uniform and applied her pink headband on the top of her head. As she was putting her shoes on, a knock suddenly interrupted her actions. Hitomi turned her head to the door in wonder. Who on earth would be at her door at eight in the morning?

As she opened the door, Hitomi's blue eyes laid upon a very apologetic Rig. She immediately frowned at the sight of him.

"What do you want?"

"Look, I know you're angry," he started, "but I just want to apologise for what I said yesterday."

"Go on…" she urged, deepening her glare.

"I should have answered your questions properly since you were just doing your job… and I'm sorry for kicking you out."

Hitomi observed the man in front of her. From the way he was twiddling his thumbs and trying his best to act confident, she could tell he meant his apology.

"I forgive you," she replied. Her tone was civil.

"Thanks," he said, now revealing a smug smile. "So, can I come in?"

Hitomi stepped aside and allowed him to enter. "Sure, but I'm about to leave soon."

Rig headed over to the dining table and took a seat. Unsure of what to do, Hitomi followed and sat right across from him. He looked as though he had something else to say.

"I know it's not an excuse, but the reason I was so angry is because everyone just keeps judging me," he explained. "I'm still new around here, and I guess people are given the wrong impression by my face? My tattoos? My clothes?... I have no idea, but it's really annoying."

"I get how that can be annoying," Hitomi admitted. "But I wasn't judging you… I was only doing my job."

"And I get that now," Rig said with a sigh. "I only came here to change my life around and visit some family members. Instead, I get blamed for a couple of murders for people I barely even knew."

"Speaking of family..." Hitomi said, changing the subject. "You never told me you were related to Johnny!"

"Didn't I? It must have slipped my mind," he chuckled. "He's my dad's brother."

"Are you here to visit your dad, too? Or does he live somewhere else?" Hitomi asked.

"He lives in this city. I'm here to visit him, too."

"Oh, really? Where does he live?"

"Around," he answered.

Hitomi noticed that Rig's answers were suddenly short. It seemed as though he didn't like talking about his father. In order to avoid an uncomfortable moment, she decided to change the subject.

"So, how is your job at the bar going?"

"It's going really well," he answered. "I'm really popular with the ladies. But now that I mention it, you should pop around sometime. Maybe I can offer you my services."

"Don't even try to flirt with me, Rig. No matter what, you're still a suspect," she winked.

"Damn."

Hitomi giggled. This was the version of Rig she liked best. He seemed more calm and he was actually able to take a joke. She was still wary of his obvious lie about being at home on the night of Kokoro's murder, but she decided to spend her time on the other suspects for now. She didn't want to anger him again.

"Speaking of suspects... Do you know where Bass might be?" Hitomi asked Rig. "He was also a known customer during Kokoro's late night shifts. I need to question him, too."

"He's always at that wrestling coliseum place," Rig answered, crossing his arms. "Apparently he's training his daughter for some championship battle."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot all about Tina's championship…" Hitomi said, now recalling the events that happened in the diner a few days ago. "I'd better go there now and see if he's there."

"Alright. I'll catch you later, Hitomi," Rig replied, now making his way out of her room.

Hitomi smiled at Rig as he left. She then grabbed her keys from the coffee table and locked the door behind her. Hopefully Bass would be easier to find this time. The petrol in her car depended on it.

When Hitomi made her way inside the D.W.A Coliseum, she was relieved to find Bass. He was currently talking to Zack. From the looks of it, the flamboyant DJ was annoying the wrestler.

Bass was thankful when Hitomi arrived. Now he had something to pay attention to other than Zack who wouldn't shut up. However, his face fell when he noticed Hitomi was in her detective uniform. He wasn't in the mood to be questioned.

After excusing Zack, Hitomi proceeded to question to Bass.

"As you may or may not know, Kokoro was murdered two days ago in Johnny's diner," Hitomi told him. Before giving Bass a chance to react, Hitomi continued. "You and her both mentioned the other day that Rig, as well as yourself, usually visit the diner at night. So, Bass… May I ask where you were that night?"

"She… She died?" Bass asked in disbelief. "That's not right… I spoke to her that night at the diner. She was clearly alive."

Hitomi's eyes widened at Bass' account. "You were there that night? What happened?"

"I went to the diner late without Rig since he said he had to do something else. When I arrived, the girl was preparing to close the diner, so I went home."

"Do you have any alibis?" Hitomi asked, desperately. "Tina? Zack? One of your wrestling bodyguards?... Anyone?"

"I have one alibi," Bass answered, "but she's dead now…"

Hitomi frowned. Bass was referring to Kokoro.

On the plus side, at least Brad's account was starting to make more sense now. Bass was clearly the first tall figure that left the diner. However, Hitomi wasn't sure if he was the same tall figure who entered the diner again, or if it was someone else.

"Unfortunately, without an alibi, you are still a suspect. The fact that this happened during Kokoro's late night shift makes you even more suspicious. Also, your physique makes you look strong enough to carry her to the ceiling and make her death look like a suicide."

Bass was at a loss for words. Hitomi had definitely had a point there.

"Wh-Wh… I'm being framed!" the man argued. "Why the hell would I kill Kokoro?! She made the best pork ribs!"

Hitomi couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man standing in front of her. Now was not the time to mention food. Their conversation was soon interrupted by Eliot. Hitomi was surprised to see him at the coliseum.

"Eliot, what are you doing here?" Hitomi asked her partner.

"I'm trying to find Tina," he answered. "Gen Fu told me that she might be here, so I came to check… I need to ask her some questions."

Bass had a look of disbelief on his face. "Don't tell me you think Tina is a suspect, too!"

"Actually, Mr. Armstrong, I'm here to ask your daughter whether she can confirm an alibi or not," Eliot chuckled. "Is she here right now?"

"You bet she is," Bass answered. He then turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth. "TINAAAAAAA!"

It wasn't long when Tina finally arrived. She ran over to Bass, Eliot, and Hitomi, and began to puff once she stopped. Beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead.

"What is it? I've been training really hard, like you said," Tina said to Bass, gasping for air afterwards.

"No, not that. You can take a five minute break for now," he told his daughter. "The blond kid wants to ask you some questions."

Eliot took a step forward and greeted Tina with a smile. "Lisa Hamilton informed me that she was with you on the night of Kokoro's murder. Can you confirm this?"

"Lisa?... I haven't seen her in weeks," Tina admitted. "I was with Mila at the gym. She was helping me train for the championship… She even brought her camcorder to record the match, if you want proof. She said something about filming for her photography class."

Hitomi looked at Eliot. "Why would Lisa lie about being with Tina on the night of the murder?"

Tina seemed to be angry by this. "I can't believe my own best friend would lie about me like that. She basically used me as an accessory to the crime!"

"Actually, that's… that's not the proper term," Eliot commented. Tina responded with a glare that shook the young man to his core.

"Alright, well, we should go back to the police station," Hitomi said, pushing Eliot towards the exit. She looked at Tina once more. "Good luck with the championship. You'll do great!"

"Thanks, Hitomi!"

When Hitomi and Eliot arrived at the police station, they headed inside and were met with the presence of Bayman. He was rummaging through the file cabinet. The female detective was still mad about his choice of words the other day, but she decided to let it go. She wasn't the type to hold a grudge. Besides, Bayman seemed to have forgotten all about the incident anyway. Either that, or he was the type to easily move on.

"Hey, Bayman. How is your case going?" Eliot asked.

"It's non-existent right now," Bayman uttered. His focus was still on the file cabinet. "Gen Fu has given me a bunch of other useless crimes to solve, so I've been more occupied than usual. It's going to be a while before I'm able to jump back onto the robbery case."

"That's a shame," Eliot replied. "If it makes you feel any better, Hitomi and I have been busy with our case, too."

"Like that's a surprise," Bayman muttered. He then smirked in triumph as he finally found his desired file. "Anyway, enough with the chit chat. I need to go."

Once when Bayman was out the door, Eliot looked at Hitomi with an 'at least I tried' look. When Hitomi first met Eliot, she knew that he was the type who would do whatever he could to try and get along with everyone. Unfortunately, he still had to learn that there will always be people he won't be able to get along with. She, too, had trouble accepting that not everyone would be able to get along with her.

"Come on, we should check Gen Fu's office and grab Rolande's investigation file again," Eliot said. "I think we should go through her case again."

When the pair made their way over to Gen Fu's office, Eliot gently knocked on the door. Curious to receive no answer from the old man, Eliot slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

The office was empty. There was also no sign of Gen Fu. The room had a messy atmosphere to it compared to when Hitomi was first in there a few weeks ago. There were stacks of paper on the desk, and there were a few files and pens on the floor. There was also a cold cup of coffee next to Gen Fu's computer.

Eliot began to rummage through the papers on Gen Fu's desk. As he did so, Hitomi wondered where the old man had gone to. It was possible that like Bayman, Gen Fu also had his own crimes to investigate. When Eliot finally found the file he was looking for, he handed it over to Hitomi and they headed over to the investigation room. They then began to investigate Rolande's murder case once more and decided to spend the remainder of their shift there.

It was around 4pm when Hitomi and Eliot finished their shift for the day. After exchanging their share of goodbyes, the pair went their separate ways. At first, Hitomi had planned to go straight home, but now she really felt like going to the gym. For the first time in what felt like forever, Hitomi was in the mood to train and keep up with her fitness.

Once when she made her way inside the gym, Hitomi noticed how there weren't that many people. This was good, in her eyes, since she would be able to go on any machine without having the need to wait for anyone to finish their turn. Hitomi made her way over to one of the treadmills in the cardio area and placed her towel on the handle. Her eyes wandered around the room once more until she spotted a familiar face.

Currently on the other side of the room was Mila. She was hanging around the punching bags. From what Hitomi had observed, it didn't look like Mila was giving any effort with her punches. Hitomi had a gut feeling that something was wrong, so she immediately headed over to the MMA fighter.

"Hey, Mila. How is your training session going?" Hitomi asked her with a smile.

Mila slowly turned to look at the female detective. Her eyes were watery. Before Hitomi knew it, Mila began to cry.

"Wh-What's wrong?" Hitomi asked, patting Mila's back. "Are you okay?"

"No. Nothing is okay…" Mila sobbed. "Kokoro is dead, the diner is currently out of business, and there is a murderer lurking among us…"

"It's okay," Hitomi hushed, leading the photography student over to some benches. They both sat down. "Eliot and I are doing our best to find the killer. We'll find out who did this soon enough."

"I-I hope so," Mila sniffled. "I considered Kokoro to be a good friend… I can't believe someone could do this to her…"

Hitomi continued to pat Mila's back as a source of comfort. "Unfortunately, there are some cruel people in the world. I'm going to do my best to stop them."

Mila smiled at Hitomi's determination. "If only I was there when the attacker planned to kill her… I swear I could have beaten them in a second. I could have saved her, Hitomi…"

"You didn't know the murder was going to happen, though," the female detective told her. "Don't beat yourself over it."

"I'll try not to," Mila said with a small smile. Her expression then changed. "It's weird, though… Kokoro wanted to teach self-defense, yet she was murdered by the attacker. They must have been really strong."

Mila had a point. Hitomi had no idea how she even overlooked that fact. It was clear that Kokoro wanted to teach self-defense. It was possible that her attacker either had more fighting experience, or she was frightened and her shock became her downfall.

After dealing with Mila, as well as completing her training session, Hitomi headed home in order to have a shower and eat her dinner. However, the only thing playing on her mind right now was the two murder cases she was assigned to solve. It was going to be hard, but it could be done over some time.

What made Hitomi truly sad was that the crime rate within DOATEC City was higher than ever. She had no idea why a quiet town would suddenly become infested with so many crimes. No matter what, she swore that she would do whatever she could to stop it from continuing.

A/N: Hmm... so we've had some revelations this chapter. Where was Rig on the night of Kokoro's murder? Why did Lisa lie about having Tina as an alibi? What is Rig hiding about his father? So many questions in such a short chapter...

...

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. (FAKE ALIBI)

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] He was at the diner that night. No alibi.

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?

~ Bass' appearance - His statement matches Brad's drunk vision... Did he enter the diner and then leave for good? Or did he re-enter and murder Kokoro?

~ Mila's observation - Kokoro wanted to teach self-defense, but she was easily overpowered... The murderer must have been strong.

...

Thanks for reading! Reviews would be appreciated. :)