A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and support on the last chapter! I'm glad to see that people are still reading this story. :)

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

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 14

Hitomi stood frozen in the middle of the hospital hallway. She was still shocked at the fact that Hayate had amnesia. This was the worst time for him to forget his memories since it was possible that he saw the murderer before being attacked by them. What she really wanted to know is what caused his amnesia in the first place...

"So, what caused Hayate's amnesia?" Hitomi asked Lisa.

"I would say that the two bumps on his forehead caused it," the doctor answered. "I know he has no memories right now, but it is possible that he might get his memories back sometime soon."

"That's great news!" Kasumi chimed in. She felt slightly more positive as she wiped her tears away.

"It is," Lisa smiled at the fortune teller. "Anyway, since Hitomi and Eliot seem to be done with questioning Hayate, everyone can now visit him."

Without another word, Kasumi and Ayane immediately ran over to Hayate's room. Hitomi felt bad for them since Hayate wouldn't remember anything about them. However, it was possible that seeing a familiar face might trigger some past memories. At least, that's what she learned from watching those tv shows which centred around memory loss.

Now that she was alone with Lisa and Eliot in the empty hallway, Hitomi thought this would be the perfect time to interview the doctor. The German girl knew that Lisa was a busy woman, due to her occupation, so this might be the only chance to interrogate her.

"Lisa… Do you mind if we ask you some questions about last night?" Hitomi asked.

Lisa quickly looked at her wristwatch before answering. "Sure, but I only have a few minutes to spare."

"That's good enough," Eliot replied. "What were you doing while the lights were out?"

"I was making my way through the crowd so I could find the power switch," Lisa answered.

Eliot wrote Lisa's answer down on his notepad. "And how did you know where the power switch in the main room was?"

"I've been at the coliseum plenty of times before. I used to help Tina train there on some nights. But ever since we began to disagree on things, she started training at the gym with other people instead…"

Hitomi decided to add her own question. "We noticed that you were arguing with Tina last night… What was the argument about?"

Lisa sighed. She knew the truth would have to come out sooner or later. "As you both know, I lied about having Tina as an alibi for Kokoro's murder… That's what we were fighting about," she admitted. "She also told me a few weeks ago that she was planning to be a model. Apparently, I was the first person she told. I told her to be careful, and she took it the wrong way."

"And do you mind telling us why you lied about having Tina as an alibi on the night of Kokoro's murder? Where were you that night, exactly?" Hitomi asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Lisa told her. "But I can assure you both that I am not the murderer."

The fact that Lisa refused to reveal where she was on the night of Kokoro's murder made Hitomi feel even more suspicious. The female detective definitely thought she was guilty.

"Well, I'd better get going, if you two don't mind," Lisa said. "The patient in room 4E needs me to check on their vital levels."

As soon as Lisa was out of earshot, Hitomi turned to Eliot. From the look on his face, the British man also seemed doubtful about the information Lisa had given them.

"Do you believe her?" Hitomi asked.

"Not really," Eliot answered. "Why would an innocent person refuse to reveal their proper alibi? It just doesn't make sense."

"I agree. What should we do now?"

"I think we should interview Bass," the blond male replied. "He was found in the room along with Rig, so that's suspicious enough as it is."

Hitomi nodded in agreement. She was determined to solve Tina's murder case. "Let's go."

When the detective duo arrived at Bass' mansion, Hitomi sighed in relief. There, in the distance, was Bass' red motorcycle. She knew he was home because wherever the pro wrestler went, his bike always tagged along. As she and Eliot headed out of the police car, the female detective gulped as she saw the word 'Tina' imprinted on the front of the motorcycle. She had no idea how Bass would cope riding his own vehicle without going crazy now.

It didn't take long for Bass to answer the front door. Eliot stared up at the pro wrestler in fear. His hair was tangled, his dirty blond beard was unkempt, and his lips turned to a snarl.

"What do you two want?! Can't you see I'm mourning here?!"

"Bass, there is no need to be angry," Hitomi said, presenting her detective badge to him. "We would just like to ask you some ques-"

"How can I not be angry when you think I murdered my daughter?!" the pro wrestler interrupted. "I have no time for your bullshit!"

Bass attempted to slam the door in their faces, but Hitomi's foot luckily stopped him from doing so. "Let us in so we can question you. Ignoring us and acting all tough isn't going to help you."

Bass paused and looked at the detectives. He then grumbled something to himself just before allowing them to step through.

Hitomi gasped at the view around her. The walls of the front room were a cream colour, and blue chairs accompanied some parts of the room. Despite Bass' dishevelled appearance, the room was neat and tidy. A coffee table was also nearby. From what Hitomi could see, there seemed to be some cassette tapes on top. Due to the large pile of scrunched tissues next to it, the German girl assumed they were Tina's childhood videos.

Bass led them over to the dining room and sat down in one of the empty chairs. He ushered for Hitomi and Eliot to do the same. Once they did as they were told, Eliot cleared his throat before proceeding to interview Bass.

"What happened after your fight with Tina?"

"I spoke with Rig and he tried to help me calm down… He failed," Bass gulped. "I ended up kicking some fancy statues outside…"

Eliot gave the man a weird look as he wrote the events down in his notebook. "Okay. Go on…"

"After that, we started talking more and I was calm again. That's when I went back inside. Then, the lights went off... " Bass explained. "That's when I made my way over to the back room. I knew Tina was in there, so I felt my way around the walls and then the lights went back on."

"What happened after that?" Hitomi asked.

"The lights were on again in the main room, so I entered the backstage through the second door. That's when I found the bodies and screamed."

"That explains the manly scream we heard…" Hitomi noted. "How do we know you didn't enter the room while the lights were off?"

"... I don't know what to say to that… But I didn't kill my daughter! And I didn't attack that other guy, either!"

"We want to believe you, but it's hard without an alibi, Mr. Armstrong," Eliot told him.

"And why was Rig in the room with you?" Hitomi asked. "Was he your alibi?"

"No," Bass answered. "I told him I was going to the room without him and when I went there, he was already inside as well... But he was standing against the third door."

"Hmm… That sounds like something we might need to check out," Hitomi told Eliot. Then she turned to Bass. "We'll keep in touch."

"You sure as hell better do that," he grumbled. "Rig usually works at the bar, so he might be there. Anyway, you two better get going. I have old videos to watch."

Hitomi's eyes felt heavy as Bass said that. She instantly knew he was referring to Tina's childhood videos.

"Thank you for the information. We will question Rig as soon as we find him."

As it turned out, Taylor's Bar was was placed on the other side of DOATEC City. The interior of the building looked like any other bar. There were a group of friends buying rounds for one another and competing by chugging shots from their miniature glasses. Some young men were surrounding a pool table at the corner of the room, and Hitomi thought she saw Brad Wong dancing in the middle of the room. She sighed and shook her head in amusement as she realised that it was him. Eliot observed his roommate from afar. He was clearly embarrassed to be associated with him. After all, it was only noon and the man was already drunk.

Hitomi plugged her nose with her hand due to the awful aroma of alcohol and cigarettes. This definitely wasn't her type of environment. Her eyes then widened with joy as she spotted Rig behind the bar. He was currently serving an aged man a schooner. She headed over to the empty side of the bar and took a seat. Eliot joined her.

A smug smile appeared on Rig's face as he noticed the two detectives. He approached them and decided to play it cool.

"What can I get for you both?" he greeted, pointing at the menu board behind him. "Some vodka? Margaritas? Gin and tonic?"

"How about an interview?" Hitomi teased.

"... I guess I can do that," the bartender said with a sigh. "What would you like to know?"

"What was your exact relationship with Tina?" the German girl asked.

"Well… Apparently she liked me, but I couldn't act on it. Bass is one of my pals, and I don't need him down my back all the time… Not that I can't handle him though- because I can."

"And why were you in the room when the bodies were found?" Eliot asked.

"Bass mumbled something when the lights were out. I couldn't hear him, so I just assumed he left the party. He disappeared, so I made my way over to the back room so I could tell Tina I was going home," Rig explained. "Then the lights turned on and I entered the room…"

Rig trailed off and Hitomi couldn't help but feel cautious about him. Like every other time he's explained himself, something didn't seem right. What was he hiding?...

"And what was your relationship with Hayate? He was also attacked," Hitomi told him.

Rig scratched the back of his head. He looked nervous. "I know this will make me look even more suspicious, but… Hayate and I can't stand each other."

Rig was right. It did make him appear even more suspicious.

"Why do you two dislike each other?" Hitomi asked.

"I can't tell you that," the bartender replied. "It's not important."

Hitomi glared at the man. "It is important if you want to clear your na-"

"I said it's not important," Rig interrupted. He had a dark glint in his eyes, which made Hitomi not dare to push him any further. If he was the murderer, then she might be the next victim if she continued to interrogate him. It didn't help that he lived right next door to her.

When they made it back to the car, Hitomi and Eliot scanned through the notebook. The female detective furrowed her brows as she read every answer they were given so far. She knew they were getting nowhere since every suspect seemed to be really suspicious at this point. She sighed as she put her seatbelt on.

"Who should we interview next?"

"We have two people left: Zack and Leifang," Eliot explained, placing the key in the ignition. "Who would you prefer?"

"I think Zack might be a good start," Hitomi answered, retrieving her phone out of her breast pocket.

Hitomi proceeded to call Zack as Eliot began to drive. She ended up asking him about his whereabouts and he told her he was currently training at the gym with someone. The German girl assumed the person was a woman since Zack was known to try and impress every female whenever he was at the gym. Once when she hung up on the DJ, Hitomi instructed Eliot to drive there.

When they arrived at the gym, Hitomi and Eliot headed inside and their ears were immediately filled with loud, upbeat music. The two detectives spotted Zack next to the punching bag. He was helping Mila with her punches.

A wide smile appeared on Zack's face as Hitomi and Eliot approached him. He seemed to be oblivious at the fact that he was about to be questioned.

"Hey, I knew you would come here!" he laughed. "Wanna spar a little? Mila and I can take you both on."

"Maybe later because Eliot and I are on duty right now," Hitomi replied. Although a huge part of her wanted to train, she needed to put her job first. "Why are you two here, anyway?"

"I'm distracting Mila from Tina's… uh…" Zack trailed off.

"Death. You can say it, Zack," Mila sniffled. She then turned her attention to the two detectives. "We've been training all day and Zack has really cleared my mind with all this sparring."

"That's great, Mila," Hitomi smiled at the MMA fighter. Her focus then turned to Zack. "You're currently a suspect because of your relationship with Tina."

"What? Me?" Zack asked, clearly shocked. "We were friends!"

"Yes, but she also rejected you many times," Eliot told the man. "And with Niki leaving you, maybe there's a part of you that can't take rejection anymore… Maybe you decided to kill her."

"Nah man, it ain't me," Zack replied. "Besides, I was in the main room with everyone else. I was near those two girls. What were their names?... Uh… Marie Rose and… Honoka... I think?"

Hitomi knew who Marie Rose was, due to meeting her a few times. She had no idea who Honoka was, though.

"Honoka?..." she asked.

"Yeah. Short girl, pink hair, massive boo-"

Mila intervened by punching Zack's gut. "You shouldn't be talking about a young girl with disrespect!"

"I-I'm… sorry!" Zack choked. He clutched his gut in pain.

Hitomi thought back to Tina's party. Now that she recalled, she did see a short girl with pink hair. Her back was facing the German girl, but she was most likely this Honoka girl Zack had described.

"Okay, well this information is actually really useful," Hitomi smiled. "I need to find at least one of the two girls in order to confirm your alibi, but it should be easy peasy."

"Alright, great!" Zack cheered, forgetting about his aching gut. He then clutched it once more when the pain kicked in. "Make sure you find out who did this. We're counting on you two!"

"N-No pressure…" Eliot frowned as they exited the gym.

Like Eliot, Hitomi could also feel the pressure. There were now three murder cases to solve, and she really hoped that another one wouldn't happen soon. There was a huge part of her that was hoping that Eliot's theory was correct: that there was one murderer behind all of this. If that was the case, then everything would be slightly easier to solve.

The female detective suggested that they should visit Leifang at the diner next since she was the remaining suspect. She didn't like to think of her best friend as a suspect, but she couldn't appear biased. If she did, then her job would be on the line.

When they entered the diner, Hitomi and Eliot weren't surprised to find it empty. Leifang was trying to pick a song for the jukebox to play. Once when she realised she had customers, she frowned when she realised it was the two detectives. She immediately knew what this meant.

"Am I a suspect for Tina's death?" she asked.

"Only because of your relationship with her," Eliot replied. "Do you have an alibi that can confirm your whereabouts?"

Leifang nodded in response. "Yeah. Jann Lee. We were dancing together until the lights went off. He tried to protect me from the people in the crowd when everyone was pushing each other."

Hitomi wrote the information down in the notebook. "We'll find Jann Lee later. I'm sure he can confirm your alibi."

"Thanks, Hitomi," the waitress smiled. Her face then fell. "Look, you both know I hated Tina, but it's not like I wanted her to die. That's crazy!"

"I know, but we need to keep an open eye on everyone," Eliot told her. "We will find Jann Lee as soon as we can."

Eliot then made his way out of the diner. After revealing one last smile to Leifang, Hitomi followed after her partner.

"Where should we go now?" she asked him.

"Well, we've spoken to every suspect, so I think we're done for the day… Where would you like to go?"

"Umm… The hospital, maybe? I'd really like to see Hayate again."

"Really?" Eliot asked. "Are you sure you don't want to go home and sleep? We've been up all night."

"I know, but he's my friend. I should be there for him," Hitomi answered.

"Alright, I'll drive you there, then," Eliot chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't go inside with you since I'm desperate to sleep. Hopefully Brad won't be home because he likes making a lot of noise…"

After when they arrived at the hospital, Hitomi got out of the car and exchanged her goodbyes with Eliot. She found that the inside of the hospital was much busier this time around. The German girl checked her watch. It was only 4:38pm.

A small smile appeared on Hitomi's face as she spotted Kasumi and Ayane exiting Hayate's hospital room. She ran over to them in order to find out any information.

"How is Hayate doing?"

Kasumi looked up at Hitomi. Her eyes were slightly red. "He's… He's doing alright… I just wish he could get his memories back…"

The auburn haired girl then bursted into a fit of sobs. Hitomi reached over to hug her.

"It's going to be okay," she hushed. "Do you remember what Lisa said this morning?... She said there is a chance that he will get his memories back. Maybe looking at more familiar faces will do the trick."

Kasumi immediately stopped sobbing and let herself go from the detective's embrace. "Hitomi, you're a genius!" she exclaimed. "I need to make a phone call!"

Hitomi looked in wonder as the young girl ran down the hall. Her pink summer dress floated behind as she made her way through the small crowd. The German girl then looked over at Ayane. She was emotionless.

"Do you know who Kasumi is calling?"

"How should I know?" Ayane shrugged. "It's not like we're telepathic in any way."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Hitomi apologised. "... Is Hayate allowed to have any more visitors, or is he sleeping?"

"You can go and see him if you want," Ayane replied. "I need to go home, anyway. Well… until I find Kasumi, that is."

Hitomi lightly chuckled to herself as Ayane made her way down the hallway. She still wasn't used to the idea of Ayane and Kasumi being on civil terms. Shaking her head, Hitomi made her way inside Hayate's room and shut the door behind her. She sat on the visitor's chair with a smile.

"Hi, Hayate," she greeted. "Is there a chance you… remember anything yet?"

"No," he groaned. He tried to sit upright but struggled,

Hitomi worried as Hayate clutched his head. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call you a nurse?"

"N-No… I'm fine… My head just hurts a little."

"If you say so," Hitomi smirked. "You know, you were like this as well when you had your memories. You never accepted any help."

Hayate looked at Hitomi with a blank expression. "I don't need any help. People should be asking me for help… not the other way around."

Hitomi rolled her eyes at the young man. Even though he no longer had his memories, Hayate was still as vain as ever. In a way, Hitomi felt like that was a good sign. It felt like there was a part of the old him that was still there.

The detective was planning to speak to Hayate some more, but her actions were interrupted as a nurse entered the room. She was wearing a normal nurse uniform, however, what made it stand out was the pink stitching on each side. The young woman was short, and had pink hair that was cropped just below her shoulders. Hitomi immediately recognised her as Honoka; the mysterious girl from the party.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she bowed. "I didn't know Hayate had any more visitors."

"That's okay. I was about to leave, anyway," Hitomi smiled. "You're Honoka, right?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am! Do… Do we know each other?" Honoka asked.

"No, but I know of you," the detective answered. She then presented her badge to the nurse. "I'm a detective for the DOATEC City Police Station. I actually need to ask you something, if that's okay."

Honoka began to tremble. "Am… Am I in trouble?!"

"No! Not at all!" Hitomi panicked. She felt bad for giving Honoka the wrong impression. "I just need you to confirm an alibi."

"Oh… Of course," the young woman smiled. "Just let me record Hayate's levels, and then I can help you."

"No problem. I'll wait for you outside," Hitomi said, now making her way out of the room.

It didn't take long until Honoka joined Hitomi in the hallway. The detective led her over to some empty seats against the wall. They both took a seat and Hitomi quickly grabbed her notebook out.

"Zack told me earlier today that he was with you and Marie Rose during the time when Tina was murdered. Is this true?"

Honoka nodded. "Yes. He was trying to dance with Marie Rose and myself. When the lights went out, something grabbed onto my chest… When the lights turned on, I saw that it was Zack's h-hands…" she shuddered at the memory. "Then we heard someone scream from one of the other rooms."

"Thank you for telling me," Hitomi said, attempting to smile. "You have been very helpful, and you have just cleared Zack's name."

"I'm glad to have been of help!" Honoka cheered. She then stood up. "Well… I'd better get back to work. I might get fired if I'm caught sitting down."

Hitomi watched as Honoka headed over to the next room. She sighed as she wrote Honoka's account in her notebook. For once in his life, Zack's pervy actions had actually saved him and gained him an alibi in the process. On the plus side, at least the flamboyant DJ was off the hook.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review if you want. They're super fun to read!

...

INVESTIGATION PROCESS #3

Time of murder: Around 9:10pm

Place of murder: In the D.W.A coliseum

Murder Weapon: Metal pipe and thin cable

Who found the body: ?

...

INVESTIGATION #3 SUSPECTS (UPDATED)

Lisa Hamilton: [Suspect because of her recent conflict with Tina / False alibi] Claims she was making her way through the crowd to find the main power switch. No alibi.

Bass Armstrong: [Suspect because of his short temper / Was found at the crime scene] Claims he spoke to Rig and then made his way to the back room. No alibi.

Rig: [Suspect because he was found at the crime scene] Says he was separated from Bass during the blackout and made his way to the back room. No alibi.

Zack: [Suspect because of his one-sided attraction with Tina] He was with Honoka and Marie Rose during the blackout (confirmed by Honoka)

Leifang: [Suspect because of her conflict with Tina] Says she was with Jann Lee the entire time (needs to be confirmed)

...

INVESTIGATION #3 CLUES

~ Two metal pipes - confirmed to be the weapon that caused Tina and Hayate's head injuries.

~ Multiple bumps on Hayate's head - the attacker isn't strong.

~ Knife - used to stab Hayate's shoulder. It is black and features a gold dragon. Hitomi has seen this design before, but where?...

~ Small piece of black cable - found on top of some old ropes. Thin and bendable, just like the mark on Tina's neck. Confirmed to be the murder weapon.

~ Main power switch - There are two power switches. Switched to 'off' in the back room. Lisa managed to turn it 'on' in the main room. The murderer must know this place well.

~ Reoccurring coincidence - each victim has been attacked on the head. Therefore, each murder has been done by the same person.