Helena's Redemption (HQ and SHR photos included) (1 Viewer)

[Sora]

Welcome to my 3rd DOA story! This is my longest one, and probably the story I've wanted to write for the longest time. It features my favorite DOA character, Helena, and her transition from "villain" to "hero" in the course of the DOA games.

Unlike my other stories, this is based on a lot of Helena's character relationships with the cast. I put some background notes from DOA's story when necessary, but made everything else as clear as possible so that anyone can still understand it.

Also, I am making this so that each ryona picture will be a super high res image (scene images will just be an HQ 720p photo). As DOA5U made it a big pain to use the old Facebook upload photo from vanilla DOA5, I just decided to take the plunge and go all out with the picture quality. That said, apologies if there's any delays, as it takes roughly 30 minutes to make one SHR image.

This story is set between the events of DOA 4 and DOA 5. New chapter updates will come weekly, if not sooner.

Enjoy!

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Helena's Redemption: Prologue

"This place is nostalgic"

Helena was walking through the streets of a small town in China. Particularly, she was in an piece of property owned by richest landlord of the city-the main provider of livestock to all of the surrounding towns. It was a lively part of town with vendors and animals of all kinds populating the streets.

She paid a fair amount of attention to the people around her, but she had a main purpose for visiting this town. After asking directions from a local--in fluent Mandarin--she was directed to a big, circular building at the center of the town.



She entered through the building's large gates. Inside, it was a lot quieter than the streets. There were people sitting around the area, but her eyes were looking for one man alone. She walked graciously through the center of the building in her bright, white shirt. Combined with her long, golden blonde hair, she had the look and aura of a princess. The locals apparently thought so too, as most of them stopped and stared at this foreigner.

She paid them no heed however--she found the man she was looking for. The man was sitting directly across the gate, tending to some chickens.

Helena approached the man and took a bow. "Shifu Gen-Fu. Greetings."



The man did not immediately respond. His straw hat hiding his face, he finished feeding the chickens the last of the feed. Helena maintained her bow throughout this time, showing the proper respect and patience.

After a few minutes, the man finally turned around. He took a long, hard look at Helena from the waist up, raising his head while doing so. He then took off his hat and revealed his face entirely. "Ahh, Helena. It has been quite a while."

Taking this as acknowledgement of her presence, Helena fully stood up. "Yes, master. It has been quite some time indeed."

"Yes... the third Dead or Alive tournament... was it not?"

Helena replied wordlessly, as if she was silently confirming her assent.

"I heard that DOATEC has been disbanded since then."

"... yes." Helena finally replied.

"Ah. I take it then, that is the reason for your visit."

"Yes. I have been haunted by the ghosts of my past. Even now, I still am."

"Guilt... is a very crippling thing, Helena. And, there is no easy cure. I am sure you are aware?"

"Yes, I am fully prepared for this."



Gen-Fu took another long hard look to Helena. Her eyes, her posture, her demeanor, her aura. He inspected them all carefully.

"That does seem to be the case... however."

Gen-Fu paused. Helena showed no visible reaction.

"Your chi tells me that you are suppressing your fear, rather than overpowering it with confidence. This bravado will only deter you from truly accepting and moving on from your guilt."

Helena's eyes widened. She said no reply.

Gen-Fu continued, "The actions that you did. The sadness and pain you inflicted, whether directly or indirectly, must be reciprocated. This is the balance of the world. Surely, you remember this teaching?"

Helena did remember. Balance is a fundamental pillar of her martial art, Pi Gua Quan.

"... how do I overcome this, master?"

"I cannot answer that, as your guilt is purely your own. However, I can present you an opportunity to face it."
Helena turned around and looked Gen-Fu straight on with determination.



"Good. You are ready for this at least." He then readied his fighting stance.

Helena stood still for a moment. She could feel Gen-Fu's strong aura even from a few feet away. "Impressive, as always, master."

Gen-Fu gathered up his core, shaking the very earth beneath him. He was generating so much chi that the dirt from the ground started circulating around him.

He faced Helena straight on as he thrust back his two arms--appearing ready to attack. Despite this however, Helena kept standing in place, perfectly calm and still, with no apparent intention of defending herself.

"I see that your trust is still unwavering. I am honored."

Helena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"... I am yours. Please take care of me, master."

"Very well. Let us... BEGIN!"



Gen-Fu's advanced with his left foot, stomping the ground beneath him so hard that it cracked. He then pushed his entire body forward from this momentum, and unleashed a pair of very powerful blow to Helena's head and heart.

The crowd around them gasped. They were not expecting him to truly attack with such force, and for her to take it so willingly. Helena's body reacted violently to this blow--her entire body shook back and forth from the impact. She was barely conscious.



She started falling back, as if in slow motion. She was losing consciousness by the second. The last thing she saw was Gen-Fu's eyes as she fell back first towards the ground.

"Good luck, my child."

And everything went black.

End of Prologue

 

[Slavosick]

Looking forward to the rest of this; there isn't nearly enough Helena material out there and I appreciate the care put into her motivation.

 

[Sora]

Was a bit inspired, so... here's the next chapter!

Chapter 1



Helena was slowly coming to. All she could remember was the darkness. She still felt her head and heart throbbing. Her chest heaving heavily. She could still not open her eyes--not from pain--but from a feeling of being drained. It felt as if she’s been fighting for an eternity.

“How long are you going to lie there, woman?”, said an new, cold voice.

This was enough to wake her from her stupor. Slowly coming to, she started gathering in her surroundings. She found herself in the middle of a wrestling ring. She recognizes this ring from a gym not too far from where she lived. However, something was off: everything seemed to be frozen in time. There seemed to be people on the treadmills and near the punching bags, but they were all in mid-action. A man was winding up a punch to a punching bag. A track runner was in mid-stride on the treadmill. None of them seemed to be the voice she just heard.

"What is this…?” Helena said.

“Helena…” replied another new voice, this time warmer and familiar.

“… Zack, is that you?”

As if in response, Zack appeared out of nowhere behind her in the ring. He was wearing his trademark suit, but was unusually somber. Something was wrong.

“Helena…” Zack repeated.

Helena had fully stood up now, and started approaching Zack. However, Zack motioned her to stop.

“Why?” Helena replied.



“Helena… why do you do this to yourself? Why do you keep trying to shoulder all of the world’s trouble?”

“What are you talking about, Zack?”

Zack kept going, as if completely ignoring Helena’s question. “You’ve tried to blame yourself for everything, and even after I saved you, you’re still guilty.”

Helena was genuinely confused now. She has not talked much to Zack, let alone about her inner feelings.

“Zack, you don’t understand. I…”

“Look at yourself!” Zack interrupted her. “You don’t even have the pride you used to have! You try to seem confident, but you’re nearly naked, inside and out! Your body, your spirit, everything!”



Helena took at look at herself. She just now realized that she was wearing very little. Barely a makeshift swimsuit made of shells and small crystals. She never recalled wearing this, and she felt a small amount of shame because of it.

“What is this outfit… what is all this, Zack?! Tell me!”

“Helena…” Zack turned his back on her. “… I shouldn’t have saved you.” He then started walking away.

“Zack, wait!” Helena started to run after him.

“Are you forgetting something, woman?” said the first voice she heard. It sounded even more callous than before.

Before she could even react, she found herself being grabbed from behind into a full body hold. The mysterious person had put her in a modified armbar, while putting his other arm across her face.



“Wait, what are y--“

*CRACK*

The mysterious person executed the hold, cracking Helena’s spine, arm and neck. Helena could not react at all. Her body went limp upon the move.



But, the person wasn’t finished. Letting go of the hold, he violently kicked Helena from behind, sending her careening across the floor.

“Aggh!” Helena screamed. She felt all the nerves of her body tingling--she couldn’t take much more of this punishment. On top of this, her outfit made it very hard for her to get her bearings. Even the mere breaths she took seemed to threaten her decency as her breasts pulsated up and down from her bare coverings.

She managed to stand back up and get her first look at her mysterious attacker.

“… Leon?”

The person smiled. “Aha, so you remember me, I’m flattered.”

“But, that doesn’t make sense! I thought you had been taken by DOATEC and…”

“Imprisoned?” Leon finished Helena’s sentence for her. “Yes. But, I cannot be kept down that easily.”

“… especially, when there’s DOATEC scum like you still roaming about.”

Helena, for the first time, showed a hint of fear. Out of all the people she’s met, Leon was one whom DOATEC had marked as “risk level - A”. During the end of the 3rd DOA tournament, she was in the meeting that decided to finally put a mark on Leon for capture.

“Wait, Leon, you don’t understand! I couldn’t…”

“That is right. You couldn’t.” Leon finishing her sentence once again. “You let DOATEC go about its duties, knowing full well the crimes that they did.”

“Yes, but I was working to…”

“You were working?” Leon said incredulously. “You dare say that? After what I went through?!”

Helena was struck silent.

“No. Nothing you say or do would ever be enough. All you can do now is beg for your life.”

“Leon, wait!”



Leon ignored Helena’s plea and rushed in, grounding her with a full tackle. He took her to the ground. Helena, taken by surprise, instinctively raising her arms to defend herself.



“Hmph! Pathetic!” Leon started to punch Helena square on the face multiple times.

“Gah! Ahh!” Helena screamed. Each blow was sent dead-on to her face, alternating to each side.

“Already in pain from that? It’s only beginning!” Leon boasted.

Leon rolled to Helena’s side, putting her in his trademark arm bar. Helena knew that this was Leon’s speciality: Desert Sambo, his martial art.

“No, wait, please Leon!”





He ignored her pleas and ruthlessly executed the hold. Helena’s arm snapped back violently against her elbow joint, almost cracking in two. The pain was so excruciating that Helena’s body went limp.

Satisfied, Leon picked up Helena from the ground by her head. He then lifted her up from the ground, putting her in his neck hold.



With Helena’s feet not touching the ground, she was effectively getting choked in the air. Running out of breath fast, she struggled to free herself from Leon’s hold but to no avail.

“Is this all the daughter of DOATEC has? How pathetic.” Leon sneered.

“…No, please…. listen” Helena was barely able to mouth the words.

“Oh, so you can still talk? Too bad, I have no desire to hear your voice ever again.”



In response, Leon slammed her hard to the ground. The impact was so great that Helena almost fell out of her makeshift attire. Her breath was knocked out of her, and she lied completely still.

“Yes, stay down like the bitch that you are. You will pay for what you did… to everyone!”





Leon picked Helena off the ground, lifting her near-immobile body completely. His gruff arms and hands wrapped around her bare, smooth body as he hoisted her over his head. Helena was absolutely helpless, all but already lost consciousness.

“Now, get ready for a ride!”

Leon flings her across the room as hard as he could. Helena’s body soars through the air like a ragdoll. She manages enough energy to barely open her eyes, but seeing nothing but a blur of the ceiling as she flies through the air.

This abruptly changed however. Helena seemed to float through the air for a minute, seemingly defying gravity. She felt no control over her body, and she was stuck in the same limp position in the air. It was as if time has frozen around her.





As soon as it came, the sensation ended and she was flung back to reality. Unexpectedly, she hit what felt to be a railing hard and back first. She crumples down, writhing from the pain.

However, she noticed something strange. While she was still tired, the pain from Leon’s moves earlier had suddenly vanished, as if they never happened in the first place. Looking down on the ground, she noticed that the floor was different. The surroundings were different too--she recognized it as one of the oil rigs that DOATEC owned.

“Well, hello there sleeping beauty!”

“That voice…” Unlike the other ones, Helena recognized this immediately. She propped herself up and readied her stance as the figure approached.



“… Christie.”

End of Chapter 1

Feedback appreciated, and enjoy!

 

[Sora]

Sorry for the delay. Pokemon happened. :p (that game is seriously crack on mobile...)

But, I'm back and ready to rock. Chapter 2!

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CHAPTER 2

“Mistress Helena… long time no see.”

Christie, similar to Zack and Leon before her, seemingly appeared out of thin air. By this point, Helena was already expecting that all is not normal. But, looking at Christie--it was hard to believe it wasn’t reality. Her appearance, look, and demeanor could all easily be as in real life.

“Christie” Helena said, brushing herself off the ground, “what are you doing here?”

“I believe the more important question here is, what are you doing in that ridiculous outfit?”

Helena felt slightly embarrassed. She still wasn’t used to her attire--or lack thereof. After getting her balance, she fully stood up and started walking towards Christie.

“Don’t play games with me. I need to know what you’re here for. Now.”

Amused, Christie nonchalantly replied, “I don’t know… perhaps, for your dead mother?”

Helena’s eyes uncharacteristically flared at the end of Christie’s sentence. She had recently discovered during the end of the 4th Dead or Alive tournament that Christie was her mother’s assassin. This loss stung even more as she was led wrong all along until that point, blaming Ayane as her mother’s killer.

“… ah, such a fool you were…” Christie continued, laughing.

“ENOUGH!” Helena furiously rushed toward Christie, preparing to go to her Bokuho stance.

“Ah ah ah…” Christie waved her finger confidently as Helena moved rapidly towards her. “You’re forgetting to watch your back.”

In the middle of her stance transition, Helena suddenly felt herself getting picked up out of it into a chokehold. From what she could tell, it was as if a man suddenly appeared behind her.



Before she could fully react, her mysterious attacker executed the hold mercilessly and immediately applied the rear-naked chokehold. Helena found herself gasping for air, and her whole pale body went limp.

“Tsk tsk tsk… such carelessness.” Christie started calmly walking toward Helena. “What would your master say about you now?”

The mysterious man released the hold, allowing Helena to get small gasps of air. In exchange, he applied a full nelson on Helena. Still very weak from the sudden attack, Helena was easily forced into the hold. With her hands tied, she was now effectively defenseless.

Helena looked behind her and finally identified her attacker. “… Bayman?”

Another assassin, Bayman did not show any acknowledgement or reply. Instead, he tightened the hold on Helena.
“Why? … did Christie hire you to do this?” Helena asked again.

“… no.” Bayman finally replied. “You did.”

“Me…? How is that… aggh!”

Christie had interrupted Helena’s question with a swift strike to Helena’s stomach. The blow was swift and sharp, with Christie digging in her sharp nails into Helena’s flesh. It was like getting stabbed by a small knife.

“Hush now, spoiled little girl. You’re not in the position to be asking questions now, are you?”

“… hah… ha… why Christie? Wasn’t killing my mother enough?”



“Hmph.” Christie sneered. In response, she struck Helena’s body again. Her hands pierced Helena’s stomach, shoulders and breasts.

“Agh!!!” Helena was helpless against this flurry of attacks. She could barely hold her consciousness.

Satisfied for the moment, Christie stopped attack. She held Helena’s bare left breast in the cup of her hand. “I like this new outfit of yours, Helena. So daring. However…”

Christie raised her free hand and poised to strike. “… I could easily rip your heart out from your lovely breast right now. Unless, of course, you wanted to beg for your life.”

View attachment 2013_11_12_22_6_30_stitch.jpg

Helena was too weak to reply. Her arms were now sagging--Bayman was now the only force holding her otherwise limp body up.

“Hmph, proud until the end… too bad that didn’t save your mother.”

Helena’s eyes flared back up again, giving her a second wind. “What… do you mean?”

Christie didn’t reply. Instead, she nodded to Bayman, who then released the hold. Helena’s body crumpled to the floor.



However, there was no reprieve. Bayman swiftly grabbed Helena’s prone body and put her into a modified reverse STF--Bayman’s reverse destroyer. Once again, he mercilessly executes the hold, snapping both Helena’s neck and her lower abdomen. She winces against the pain briefly, then suddenly could not feel anything at all. Her body had gone numb--she was paralyzed.

Bayman released the hold. Helena was now lying on the ground, square on her abdomen. Bayman grabs Helena’s head and puts her in a modified camel clutch hold.

Christie walks over and crouches down in front of Helena. Helena was now awake, but also helpless against Bayman’s hold. Christie grabs Helena’s neck, caressing it softly.

“Poor little rich girl… about to die with no witness.”

Helena’s eyes started tearing up. Is this it?

“But, before you go princess, I will answer your last question.”

“What did I mean, you ask? You act proud, always flouting your wealth and knowledge, little miss noble. However, you’re human, just like us. You make mistakes, and you’re far from perfect. See how helpless you are right now? You are not special--your birth doesn’t grant you immunity from life, or from death.”

“And, that arrogance, was what led your mother to die.”

Helena’s eyes widened. Though she could not reply, her eyes, now brimming with tears, told the whole story. She’s right.

Helena now willed her body, struggling to free herself from the hold. However, Bayman was sitting on Helena’s entire lower body, pinning her down on the ground.

Christie let go of Helena’s neck, stood up and looked down one last time at Helena. “That’s right. Struggle all you want. But, that arrogance of yours is what led you to die today.”



Christie then turned her back. Bayman took this as a signal and started executing the hold. Helena felt it; her neck being violently twisted around. In a few microseconds, her neck would snap on its joint, killing her.

Just as Bayman was about to finish the hold, time stopped again. She felt her neck bones rubbing against each other, perilously close to breaking. The area around them warped again. Christie vanished into thin air, then Bayman.

However, she was again stuck in that position and could not move a muscle.

After a few seconds, the surrounding area started to stabilize. Helena saw the ocean, and that she was on top of a large boat.

Time flowed again. Her body crumples to the ground once more. She saw two figures from the far distance walking towards her, but her eyes were still blurry from the tears. She could not make out who they were.

Finally, her body gives in from the pain and the shock, and she passes out.

END OF CHAPTER 2

 

[nine]

The "dream" idea is quite original. Keep it on! :)