A/N: Exactly one year ago, I published the prologue of this story on this site. It's honestly amazing how time flies! One of my New Years Resolutions for 2017 was to finish writing this story, so I'm trying my best to do that. As of right now, I only have 31 days to complete this goal. Hopefully I can do it.

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

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 15

A few days had passed since Honoka had confirmed Zack's alibi. Since then, Hitomi had been working her usual shifts with Eliot. When she wasn't working, the karateka always found herself at the diner. She would occasionally go there to chat with Leifang since she always seemed to be working. Hitomi even made sure to warn Zack not to grope any other female again. He nodded in understanding since he didn't want to be put in jail.

Today was Hitomi's day off from work, but that didn't mean she had to be lazy. After her morning karate session in the lounge room, she invited Eliot over so they could do some more private investigating.

It was around 9am when Eliot arrived. He covered his ears with his hands since Rig's music proved to be too much for him again. However, the British man decided to ignore it and not approach Rig since he didn't want to cause any trouble. Hitomi believed that Eliot was secretly afraid of him.

"Okay," he said, spreading his notes all over the table. "So far, we know that each victim has a bump on the head."

"We also have this knife that was planted in Hayate's shoulder," Hitomi added, holding a clear zip bag. The bloodied weapon was inside.

"I've seen that dragon before, but I don't know where…" Eliot pondered.

Hitomi looked at the black and gold dragon pattern on the knife. She had also seen this pattern before.

"I have seen it, too, actually," she said. "We just need to figure out where…"

"The sooner we find out the better, because this might be a clue," Eliot concluded.

Hitomi agreed. She then collected some photographs from her backpack and laid them on the table. They were headshots of each of the most suspicious suspects so far.

"Here we have Lisa, Bass, and Rig. Each of these people are tall - just like the silhouette that entered the diner to kill Kokoro," Hitomi said.

"I remember," Eliot nodded. "Brad was the one who saw the figure enter the diner."

"Exactly. They all had a reason to murder Tina and possibly Hayate."

Before Eliot could answer, a knocking sound came from the door. Hitomi quickly placed the photographs into her backpack just before answering the door. She wasn't surprised to see that it was Rig. After all, he was her next door neighbour.

"Hey. I just came to ask if I could borrow some milk? I didn't realise my carton was empty again."

Hitomi rolled her eyes playfully and allowed the bartender to step through. This was the fourth time he had asked her for milk this month.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," he said, opening the fridge. "If I don't get my morning coffee, then I'm usually crabby for the rest of the day."

"I can tell," Hitomi commented, referring to his behaviour at Taylor's bar the other day.

Eliot couldn't help but observe Rig's choice of clothing as he poured some milk into a cup. He was wearing his usual grey, sleeveless hoodie. It was unzipped, which gave Eliot a clear view to all of his tattoos. He eventually came across something he hadn't noticed before.

"That's a nice dragon tattoo you have there," he pointed out.

Hitomi looked over at the dragon tattoo. It was visible on Rig's right ribcage. She remembered when Leifang pointed it out when they first met Rig. The awkward look on his face at the time was unforgettable.

"Oh, this?" he replied, pointing at the tattoo. "I had this one done a few years ago by a friend of mine."

"Why did you get it? Is it symbolic?" Hitomi asked eagerly.

"Not really," Rig answered. "I used to be in a gang… We weren't known for doing good things. But I left and decided to come here to start fresh."

"Well, I'm glad that you decided to change and be good," Hitomi smiled.

"It's kind of hard when half the town judges you and accuses you of murder," Rig shrugged, making his way out. "Thanks for the milk."

Hitomi felt guilty as Rig closed the door behind him. She felt bad because she was one of the many people who were suspecting him of murder. The karateka tried her best to distract herself by focusing on the knife once more.

"Rig's tattoo kind of resembles the pattern on the knife..." Hitomi stated.

"I think they might be linked," Eliot replied. "What if the knife was some special weapon in the gang?"

"You might have a point, but I think we need to observe the pattern some more. We don't want to accuse the wrong person."

Eliot knew Hitomi had a point, so he decided to forget about the knife and focus on the suspects instead. Hitomi also thought that was a good idea. Thinking about the knife could possibly distract them from the case. They decided to look through Bass' portfolio instead and work from there.

After when Eliot had gone home, Hitomi had nothing else to do so she decided to cook some lunch. As soon as her stomach was full, the karateka made her way over to the hospital. When she arrived, she was surprised to see a familiar face in the hallway.

"Ryu?"

The tall man turned his head to Hitomi as his name was called. It was him. The German girl smiled and approached Ryu. He hadn't changed much since she last saw him. The only major difference was that he had grown his hair out. It was held in a low ponytail and it complimented his outfit.

"Why are you here? I thought you were in Japan."

"I arrived last night," Ryu told her. "Kasumi notified me of Tina's murder and that Hayate was attacked. Apparently he has amnesia?"

"That's correct. I'm assuming that Kasumi called you because she thinks a familiar face might trigger his memories?" Hitomi guessed. She remembered their conversation from the other night.

"Exactly. I'm just glad he's alive. I headed on the first available flight."

"You're such a good friend. But what about your father?"

"He agreed to let me go. He thinks it will be good for me to see some old friends again."

"Well, I'm glad you're back," Hitomi smiled. "I'll walk with you to Hayate's room. I'm actually here to visit him as well."

Hitomi really hoped that seeing Ryu would trigger Hayate's memories. Even a small memory would be good to remember. She missed having the old Hayate back and she just wanted another chance in order to possibly be with him.

As Hitomi and Ryu were about to enter the hospital room, a voice had interrupted them. The pair both turned around to find Lisa heading towards them. She was on the other side of the hallway.

"Do you know her?" Ryu asked.

"Yes. She's Hayate's doctor," Hitomi answered. "They… also dated for a while."

Ryu quickly scanned Lisa up and down before turning to Hitomi. "I'll go inside and talk to Hayate."

As soon as Ryu shut the door behind him, Hitomi headed over to Lisa. She was wearing her black, square-framed glasses this time and clutched a clipboard against her chest.

"I'm so glad you're here," she huffed. "Are there any leads on Tina's death yet?"

"We have a few suspects so far," Hitomi answered. Unfortunately for Lisa, she was one of them.

"I'm happy to hear that. Tina and I have been best friends ever since high sch- Ah!"

Lisa yelped as something made its way between her legs. She was infuriated to find that it was a small, white puppy. It ran around the hallway with glee. Hitomi, on the other hand, smiled at the sight in front of her. She had always loved dogs.

"I didn't know animals were allowed in the hospital."

"They're not..." Lisa muttered. She was glaring at the dog.

Honoka soon appeared in the hallway and ran over towards the dog. She picked it up and snuggled it against her fluffy coat. However, her face fell once she saw how angry Lisa was.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"What is the meaning of this, Honoka?!" Lisa snapped. "You know there are no dogs allowed in this hospital. They will bother the patients!"

Honoka looked as though she was trying not to cry. "I didn't know he was going to run inside," she replied. "I… I let him off his leash for one second as I put my coat on… He must have run inside while the door was still open. I'm so sorry! Please don't fire me!"

"I'm not going to fire you. Just don't bring him here anymore," Lisa warned her. "This is the second time he's come inside."

"What's his name?" Hitomi asked, petting the dog. "He's so cute!"

"His name is Bankotsubo," Honoka smiled. "He's a Pomeranian and he was a birthday present from my grandmother." [1]

"Oh, I've always wanted a dog. You're so lucky," Hitomi replied.

"Ladies… Maybe you could have this conversation outside? We can't have the dog in here," Lisa reminded.

"You're right. I'm sorry, again," Honoka bowed. "I'm going home now since my shift is over. Goodbye!"

"Ugh, I cannot stand animals," Lisa shuddered. She then took one last look at Hitomi. "I'd better head over to level 7. You can visit Hayate now, if you'd like."

Hitomi made her way over to Hayate's hospital room and formed a smug smile at the befallen karate instructor. She noticed that Ryu was sitting in the visitor's chair. As soon as he saw her, he stood up so she could sit down instead. The German girl smiled in gratitude as she sat down.

"So, do you remember Ryu?" she asked Hayate. "He's your best friend."

Hayate frowned and shook his head. "No."

Hitomi's face fell at his answer. "Oh…"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Hitomi," Ryu said. "People with amnesia usually get their memories back."

"I hope that's the case," Hayate replied. "I really want to help out with this investigation. The murderer was smart to take away my memories…"

"Actually, I'm sure they originally planned to kill you, but it's good that you're still alive," Hitomi said.

Hayate's face paled. "Wh-What?... How dare they!"

Hitomi chuckled to herself. His sudden change of attitude reminded her of the old Hayate.

After a few more minutes of small talk between the three friends, the door to Hayate's room suddenly opened. Lisa stepped inside and clicked her pen once she made her way over to Hayate's bed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I forgot to update Hayate's vital levels on my clipboard."

Hitomi and Ryu stepped aside as Lisa began her inspection. After when the doctor had recorded Hayate's levels, she quickly checked the bumps on his forehead as well as the wound on his shoulder.

"How does this feel?" she asked, pressing her gloved fingers against his injured shoulder.

Hayate grunted in response. "I'm f-fi… Ugh!"

Lisa chuckled as she recorded something else on the clipboard. "I'm guessing it feels pretty bad."

The doctor made her way to the door, but something stopped her along the way. Her brown eyes made their way onto the whiteboard which was above Hayate's head. She noticed something peculiar about it.

"You know, you've been here for a week and your name still isn't on the whiteboard," she noted. "I'll fix that for you so it can feel a little more home-y in here."

Lisa bent over Hayate's bed in order to reach the whiteboard. The karate instructor tried his best to avert his eyes from her chest which was hovering above him. Once when she was done, she smiled at him and dusted her hands.

"There you go. I hope you like it."

Hayate tried his best to turn around without adding more pressure to his shoulder. His name was written on the miniature whiteboard in Lisa's cursive handwriting. He turned around to her once more and smiled with gratitude.

"You're the best, Lisa. Thanks."

"It's no problem," she smiled. Lisa then realised that they weren't the only two people in the room and flattened the crinkles on her skirt. "Um… I'd better get going. Keep drinking water and get plenty of rest, Hayate. I'll check back on you tonight."

Hayate continued to smile in a goofy manner as Lisa shut the door behind her. Hitomi didn't notice she was glaring at the door until Ryu pointed it out to her.

The karateka didn't understand why she was so jealous. Did Hayate always look at Lisa like that when they were together? Did he always laugh like that whenever he was around her? What made her even more sad was the realisation that he never looked at her like that. Hitomi wasn't the type to get jealous, but she couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

She just wanted the old Hayate back.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys like that Ryu is finally back in town.

...

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

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 (UPDATED)

~ 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.

~ Dragon pattern - The symbol on the knife that was used to stab Hayate. One of Rig's tattoos is a dragon.

...

[1] - I just had to give a reference to Tengu! I thought it would be the perfect name for Honoka's puppy.

...

Explanation #4: Okay, so the main reason why I sent Ryu away in the prologue was to bring him back later on for Hayate's amnesia. I wanted to show that even the most familiar face may not be enough for Hayate to recover. Ryu isn't going to be a major character in this story, but he will appear in a few scenes. Also, I'm going to straight up confirm that he is not the murderer. That would be a super catty thing to do to you guys since he's barely been in the story so far.

I thought it would be best to include a death count from now on so the order doesn't get confusing.

Death count: Maria Douglas, Rolande, Kokoro, Tina Armstrong.