Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear. I can wish I own Guilty Gear, but that is all.

Eat pie, run in front of trains, and read the story please.

Baiken sat alone on the shoreline.

Flame tinted clouds stretched across a golden sky, strained, fiery paint-streaks. Rubies and oranges shimmered across the surface of the sea, broken by the crystalline spray of the waves as they journeyed for shore, hissing up rocks and pebbles. Where the tranquil, burning orb of the sun met the horizon, a rose coloured thread bound the two, stretching and dancing away into the distance.

All this beauty was lost on Baiken.

Soft, serene breezes blew through her cerise coloured hair, fluttering through her kimono. One porcelain hand rested idly on the hilt of her katana, whilst the clawed chain replacing her other arm lay on the bronzed sands.

Baiken scowled to herself. Coming here had been nothing but trouble.

First there had been the run in with that young girl, May, and now some strange guy was tailing her.

Baiken could not suppress a shudder as she remembered how normal, well, vaguely normal he had seemed, then suddenly the glowing whites of his eyes, the tortured, pain racked screeches, and the ghastly image of a woman burning with a desire to slay the swordswoman.

Baiken had had no choice but to attack. She had been about to land the first blow when the young man appeared to recover himself and fled.

She smirked.

Just as well.

Her hand transferred itself from the hilt of her sword to the bottle of sake dangling at her hip, and she took a deep swig before lighting a long pipe.

As she mused over the days' events, her ears perked up and her remaining eye narrowed as she sensed the approach of another being.

Clenching the pipe handle between her teeth, she inched her hand slowly over towards her weapon...

'E-Excuse me, m-miss Samurai?'

Baiken turned her head.

Great! She thought. That weirdo...

Her mellow peach eye watched him warily.

'I'm not a samurai. What do you want?'

'I-I'm searching for a doctor named Faust....Have you seen him? I-It is urgent!'

Silently she scrutinized him. He seemed genuine, but what if he just attacked?

'What's your name?' She barked.

'W-What?'

'Your name, genius, your name!'

'My name is... Zappa'

She took a deep puff on her pipe then languidly blew out a smoke ring, closing her eye insolently.

Zappa waited patiently, then enquired timidly 'Have you seen him?'

The eye snapped open, suddenly piercing.

'I see many things on my journeys, but I have yet to encouter this 'Faust' you speak of. And if I were you, I'd start moving those feet because that power of yours is out of your control.'

She took another drag of the sweet pipe and eyed the forlorn figure before her. His whole stance gave off an air of thourough dejection and misery, shoulders slumped, face downcast.

Ok,Ok, I'm not a complete stone....

Baiken sighed resignedly.

'There's a village nearby. Perhaps they have heard of your... miracle worker.'

Zappa looked even more depressed.

'I know there is a village. I-I went there earlier, and must have fell asleep or u-unconscious or something...All I know is when I woke up, they were chasing me with all manner of weaponry. And you did the same! I fell asleep and you tried to attack me!'

Baiken stood up slowly, her jaw clenched. The menacing chain clinked gently.

'What are you trying to accuse me of?'

Zappa backed off slightly as the touchy warrior gripped her katana hilt. But something inside him told him not to back away, something told him to fight....He put a hand to his forehead, running the fingers through his sleek brown hair anxiously as he felt some sort of power surging through his body, crackling through his veins...

Baiken cocked her head to one side, cherry hair flowing in the wind. She knew those signs, knew that pained, worried look spreading across his face, the quickened breathing, knew what would happen. She had to do something.

'Hey!' She said loudly as the white's of Zappa's eyes began to illuminate.

'I'm taking you back to that village, you hear me?'

Zappa gasped as his mind, suddenly free from the grip of...whatever it was...plummeted back into reality.

'Wha - oh, the village? B-But they hate me! They tried to destroy me!'

'Listen, boy, you need help. And as much as I hate the prospect, I'm going to help you by getting some information from the village people.'

Zappa considered this mutely for a moment.

'Why?'

Baiken's quick temper flared through her eye.

'Don't question me! Just do as I say and walk normally with me to the village. And the emphasis is on that little word normally. No attacking people for no reason, no strange spirits appearing out of nowhere...'

'WHAT?'

As usual, other people's hysteria made Baiken feel in control. She flicked a tress of hair out of the recess of her scar and met his eyes cooly.

'It's what happens to you. You don't fall asleep. Something takes control of your mind. And you begin unleashing your destructive power on all and sundry.'

'B-B-But I, I never, I, I can't have.. What are you talking about? I don't believe you!'

'I'm not asking you to believe me, I only stated the truth.'

'The truth? But what is the truth! Just a pack of lies with a different name so people will believe them!'

Baiken narrowed her eye.

'That's a very interesting view.'

'I did learn a few things on my travels.'

Baiken unsheathed her sword. The setting sun's fire glittered in the polished sheen of the blade, elegant and deadly, the tip as keen as a blizzard in midwinter.

'So did I. I learned never to let your guard down.'

She leaped rapidly over Zappa to counter a swinging blow that had been aimed at his back. A resounding metallic clang rang out across the beach as sword struck anchor in a critical hit.

May leaped backwards before giving a wild yell and swung the heavy weapon at Baiken.

Baiken lifted her katana in a vertical position and brought it flying down towards the oncoming onslaught.

May felt shockwaves pound through her arm as the swordswoman met the attack with lethal accuracy, but wasted no time in calling a trusted ally.

Baiken's eye widened in sudden shock as the young girl swiftly darted towards her on the back of a glimmering dolphin. May laughed, eyes glittering with anticipation.

Having no time to prepare a counter, Baiken held her sword up and screwed her eyes up grimly, hoping for the best.

The dolphin rebounded smartly from Baiken's defensive crouch, but May wasn't about to let this woman off easily. Her whole body tensed for a minute, then burst in a frenzy of energy as she unleashed a frantic Ultimate Whiner. Round and round the dangerous anchor swung, slashing with energy and sending the fine sand billowing into the air.

Baiken stepped back smartly, then yelled ferociously.

'Sanzi Watashi!'

Once, twice, thrice, the awesome katana struck, deflecting the myriad of hits from the opposition and sending it spinning into the floor with an audible thud.

May stood up, screamed something incomprehensible, and Baiken saw a hoop forming near her head. Sensing a trick, Baiken leaped up and used her formidable Tatami Gaeshi. A board of pure energy thwacked solidly into the hoop, sending the oncoming dolphin back towards May, who diverolled to the side.

'Stop defending and fight like a true warrior, one - eye!'

May crouched, ready to summon her fabled dolphin once again.

Baiken flung her clawed arm out and swiped May's feet from under her. Helplessly being dragged along at a rapid pace, May waited until the precise moment and unleashed a sweep attack across Baiken's tattered sandals.

With a muffled cry of surprise, Baiken fell onto her knees, ducking her head to protect her face as the brutal Ship's Weight hammered down onto her skull.

And then there were no holds barred. Both women began laying into each other with every ounce of skill and strength they could muster. The smacks and reverbrations sang out with ear-splitting audibility, bright, explosive flashes flaring across the scene with enormous intensity. Zappa's frightened brown eyes reflected the punishing slashes of lunar light reflecting from the overwhelming metal mastery before, him and the deepening sunset in the background.

'STOP!'

Both fighters turned to face Zappa, who had a distressed look stamped across his chiselled features.

'Please stop! One of you is going to get hurt!'

May adjusted the orange pirate hat balanced precariously on her head and wrinkled her nose impudently.

'Well you should have thought about that before you attacked me earlier!'

'I did?'

'Don't play dumb!'

Baiken had her old indifference back, the heat of battle fading from her body as she attempted to divert the conversation. Mainly because Zappa looked so bewildered and lost.

'You're not bad, kid, but stay out of our way. We're headed to the village.'

May glared at her with ebony eyes.

'Don't call me a kid! And I'm going too, and you can't stop me because freakazoid over there can't stand fighting, which is rich coming from him.'

'Quiet! Why are you headed to the village?'

She looked down for a minute, then thrust her chin out with a sad look across her face..

'I'm lost!'

**********

So, whaddy'ya think? Good? Bad? The best thing since buttered toast? Crudder than algebratic breakdowns? Let me know! 'Cos I'll only continue if people like it.

So review, people!

And eat pie.

I like pie.