Hello. It has been quite a while since I've posted anything here. Well, that reason is that I'm mostly active over at A03. With that said, I do find it appropriate to post this story here as well. This story does not take place at any point of time in the SF timeline but if I had to give a general idea, think post-SF5 because Sakura is in uni in this story. Anyway, chapters will be updated every now and then.

I won't give out warnings for every single chapter so consider the following your warning for the whole fic.

THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN; Non-con elements, hereunder attempted sexual assault, sexual coercion/pressure/outright rape depending on how you look at it, and drug use. Depictions of trauma, depression, and grief. Violence and death(s).

Dark heavy clouds hung in the sky, sprinkling rain from the heavens long before Sakura had managed to find shelter. Still wearing her uniform, she began to feel the cool creeping across her skin. She had calculated the time it would take to walk from here and to her home and by then she'd be soaked. Despite her running through the day, she was beginning to shiver, not feeling any of the warmth from earlier.

Today had been another day without luck, having searched for her father who had been missing for a month. Without a single trace, he had up and vanished. No one, not even his friends at his work had any idea where he could have gone. In fact, the last time they saw him, he was on his way home from the train station. So far, the police hadn't found anything either. Mom had assumed the worst, but Sakura held a little more hope. There'd be no way her father would die so easily. He was a true and honest man, who would never get involved with seedy situations, so kidnapping was out of the question. If he was dead, surely a body would be found. And when there was no corpse, there was still hope. There were many questions to be asked but they would have to wait until the day, Sakura found him. She'd have to try harder; maybe travel to some extended family in the countryside when summer break rolled in. Mom had already called some of them up to hear if they knew anything but no luck so far. Sakura had initially believed something at work had happened but everyone seemed completely normal and even worried at his disappearance.

As she continued down the street, the rain came down harder as predicted, causing her to run again. There wasn't that far to her house, a thought that brought her some comfort. As she rounded the corner to the last street, she suddenly stopped when something caught her eye. On a lamppost was a poster, advertising a local street fighting tournament with a grand price of monetary compensation. Sakura blinked; had she been younger, she'd no doubt jump at the opportunity. Not for the sake of the money but rather to fight and meet strong people. But now, older and more worried, she stood with the rain pouring over her, questioning if it was even a good idea to participate. Maybe there was a chance that Ryu would be there. It had been a while since they last spoke with her studies ramping up this year as she was nearing her final semester of university. It had been even longer since she was involved in any fighting, tournament, or not. Though her abilities surely hadn't diminished as she had been training, she had moved away from fighting as questions regarding her future began to take center stage. But all things considered, maybe it was a good idea to unwind and recharge before she'd deplete herself completely. A distraction from her daily woes. Maybe recapture her lost fighting spirit and gain some vigor for the search. And perhaps, more alarmingly, if she outright needed to save her father from the clutches of whoever, if anyone, was involved with his disappearance. She ripped off the poster, holding it upright as she ventured home. The poster was laminated, thus resistant towards the rain albeit a little harder to read considering the endless droplets obscuring the text.

From what she gathered; the tournament was to start in two weeks' time. Enough time to train and regather her strength. Heading home, she put the poster in her backpack. Before long, she was finally at her house, shivering and wet. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a depressive atmosphere. It was mostly quiet, except for the rain hitting the roof above and windows below.

"I'm home…" Sakura called out to no one in particular, feeling dejected. It didn't appear that her mother was home, likely working overtime to compensate for her father being gone. Likewise, there were no traces of her brother's shoes there either, indicating he was also out of the house. Alone in her home gave way for a tightening feeling within her chest, one she desperately tried to push away as she took off her shoes and ventured inside. Passing by the kitchen, she saw a dinner plate with foil wrapped around it, a note, and an envelope. Hunger suddenly hit her, and she resisted the urge to head inside and eat her worries away but she was still drenched and the least she could do was to not drip all over the floor, now quickly making her way upstairs. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she was finally in the kitchen, reading the note while she ate some home-cooked curry. It was a message from her brother, telling her that he was staying over with a friend. Something he had done a lot recently. As she ate alone, her heart sank further, feeling the emptiness of the house get to her. With her father disappearing, the home in which she cherished felt alien and cold. But she couldn't let it detour her from her quest. Her father would be back one day and then everything would return to normal.

Almost finished with her dinner, Sakura's attention befell the envelope, eying it curiously. It had her name and address written on it. She couldn't even begin to imagine who'd sent her a message in such a way. There was Karin or Dan, but they'd surely call her if they wanted to speak with her. Maybe it was a message from Ryu…but it didn't seem like him to send letters. Rather he'd visit her personally. Especially if it had anything to do with the whereabouts of her father. They knew; they all know and yet they too were without clues. Inside the envelope, was the same poster as the one she had taken home with her. It struck her odd how it had been personally sent to her…while also hanging as posters out on the street in her neighborhood. Regardless, however, she found it only appropriate to compete.

The next two weeks came and went in a flash, likely because she was kept busy with her search for her father and her studies. Now was the added bonus of more rigorous training for the tournament. But despite the stress, she put herself under, she managed to pull through, finding herself on the path to her destination as the day of the tournament rolled around with her spirits high and a heart full of excitement.

It was raining that day too as she found herself wandering outside the fenced area of an abandoned construction site. Considering it was a street-fighting tournament, she figured it was for privacy reasons that the tournament was held here. Likewise, the estimated time struck her as peculiar too; an hour from midnight. The construction site was practically desolate at this point, not even visited by urban explorers. What was meant to be built here, Sakura never found out and it was never revealed to the public, even as the site was abandoned. Eventually, she found herself in front of the fence, stepping back a bit before jumping over it; thankful that her physical fitness was still at the top. As she ventured deeper, she was met with a group of delinquents already gathered here. They leered at her and whispered among themselves, not thinking highly of her, even moving away when she got closer. They stood around in the dark, cold and excited or worried, until a bright light emerged from one of the unfinished structures, revealing two figures standing on the top. One was significantly taller than the other.

"Welcome." The voice of a man called out over the site, amplified by speakers nearby. Hopefully protected by the rain.

"The tournament will commence shortly. I apologize for the dreadful circumstances. However, it is my belief that the best fighter does not care about the harshness of the weather and will face any challenge" the voice managed to drown out the pouring rain. The words spoken reminded Sakura of Ryu. And what she herself wanted to be as a fighter, even if she felt like she had strayed from that path. The tournament commenced shortly after with Sakura as the opening act. Her opponent was a delinquent around her age yet double her size. As the fight started, she was not surprised to find her opponent to be strong courtesy of his appearance, but his moves were sloppy and slow, earning him a quick defeat. She didn't doubt that he'd be a great fighter if he trained some more. This pattern would continue with her next opponents, and Sakura couldn't help but feel like she was skating above the competition, a thought that made her feel guilty. Still, she would be lying if she didn't feel like enjoying herself, moving in the rain with all her worries washing away, if only for a little bit.

When it was all done and over with, Sakura found herself as the winner of the tournament. By now, thunderous roars soared across the night sky with no end of the rain, and once more Sakura was soaked albeit not entirely freezing. Several of the other contestants were surrounding her now, amazed at her display of power and asking to become her apprentice. Despite being honored if not a little embarrassed as she felt like she had lost her edge. Regardless of them being delinquents, the majority were friendly and forthcoming. Soon, one of the organizers had arrived from his spot on the structure to personally congratulate her. He was fairly small in stature, an elderly man with a long beard and a single, yellow eye that had a dark glow to it.

"Congratulations on your victory, young lady. May you continue down your path of becoming a true warrior." He reached out his hand and she took at, a little embarrassed at how wet and cold her hands were. Well, at least the victory was always a little sweet even if it felt like she was practically getting it handed to her. The elderly man gave her a single envelope, just as the rain let up. It was sleek and rather thin, thinner than the one she had received two weeks prior. Which reminded her of the mystery that was that letter. Had these organizers been the ones to send the invitation to her personally?

Just then the other contestants and delinquents scattered, across the area while she stood, opening the envelope. It had occurred to her that no exact price had been given for winning the tournament and thus she was curious. Maybe it was enough to elevate her mother financially until their father returned. A sense of disappointment flooded her when she did find a check inside but rather another piece of paper. Unfolding it, she found a written letter addressed to her.

"Dearest Sakura,

Please forgive me for leaving the family. I had to do it for the greater good. A god has shown the way of salvation before me and I believe that this will benefit our family, to save us from certain doom. I set this tournament up, so you'd be evaluated and selected for membership. I plan to get your mother and brother here as well. I know this is quite a shock for you and that you don't understand. Don't worry, when we meet again, I can explain everything to you.

Your dearest father"

A knot formed in her gut as she read the letter over and over again. It wasn't handwritten so there was no way to if her father had written it. And yet, under the sign-off was a signature, her father's. Her grip tightened around the paper, as she tried to make sense of it. This was the first sign of her father, assuming it was legit. And yet, it felt so unreal. What was this salvation? Who was this god? A slew of emotions hit her all at once but the one she instantly caught was anger. In her fist, she crumped the paper, glaring at the old man who was a little stunned by her reaction.

"Wh-where did you get this? Is this some kind of joke?" she shouted, pricking in her eyes threatening to give her fears away. A soft smile emerged on the old man's face, in a manner Sakura couldn't but to find insulting.

"Your father was right about your prowess. The Secret Society can certainly find a use for you"

The words he spoke felt like nonsense to her. How did her father get involved with this, whatever this was? Was it even true? Secret Society? Nothing meant anything to her. There were too many questions and too little few clues to provide any answers.

"I don't understand…" she muttered, defeated. The pricking in her eyes turned to tears building in the corners, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. It was then Sakura realized that she was alone with the old man. Not even the other figure that was with him was here.

"Do you want to see your father?" the man asked, his smile dropping completely. The implication of his words tugged at Sakura's senses and without even wondering about what he meant or any of her other questions, she opened her mouth, answering with a loud; "Yes!"

Just then, two arms wrapped around her, holding her in place, no matter how much she flailed for freedom. This was not what she had in mind when asked such a question. The old man stepped back, now mournful.

"I'd imagine so. This will only hurt a little" no sooner had he spoken those words before an intense pain soured through her and it felt like her entire being was being pulled and stretched violently. Despite only lasting for a few moments, it felt like an eternity. She didn't even have time to scream before she blacked out, falling into a deep void of slumber.