Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of its characters, just my own spastic mind.

Whoo! I'm taking a new approach to writing! Yays! So, read, review, flame or whatever else one can do this! But I'm feeling crazy!! Crazy like coconuts!

And this is a warning!!!!! If you like angst! I'm about to make that frown turn upside down! Yay! Upside down frowns!

The Mind's Alternative.

Ch 1. A 21st Century Storm

Ray's POV
The day it came, it all started. Everything odd, deamonic, ominous, eerie, stranger than fiction… It all started. I mean, never before have I seen my boss sprout horns… no, no, correction, I did once… Okay, so not everything was normal before, but this package that I still don't see how the mailman shoved into the door slot started a chain of events that I will never forget.

As I entered my house, arms full of books, papers, and mail I stumbled over package. I gasped as the things in my arms attempted to run away. Shouting and dancing around probably wouldn't help, but it was the best got at the moment. Just as I thought I had everything settled and all balanced again a thunderous noise behind me startled me, causing me to drop everything.

I spin around to glare at the ringing phone. I really need to change that ringer… The death march was funny the first three rings.

I dive at the phone, successfully knocking over the entire stand and slamming my head into the couch cushions.

"Mmff! Mmamf mmhft!" Was about all they heard.

"… I'll call back later…" The deep rich voice stated dryly.

I inhaled deeply, finally freeing myself.

"Wait!!! It's not like that!" I shout, turning three different shades of red.

"…" Maybe he's still on…

"Kai…? You still there?" I ask, I can't hear a dial tone, but you never know…

"Yes, I'm here." He responded, making this night suddenly much better.

"Oh, good, what did you want?" I asked, sitting up strait and stretching my poor arm. It was nearly crushed to death by that cushion!

"… Never mind, it doesn't matter." He said shortly.

"Gahh! No! Don't hang up!" I freak, sending my end table flying again! "Le gasp!" I shout diving after it again.

"…Bye Ray, have fun." Kai adds sarcastically and the receiver clicks, informing me I just made a fool of myself over the phone.

Go me, capable of nothing. I grumble as I stand the table back up and pile my tons of junk back on top. Perhaps I should consider sorting through that stuff… later.

I clean up the entranceway and pick up that package. I fall over the back of the couch (purposely this time) and star at the unremarkable brown wrapping paper. I slowly peel off the brown husk, revealing a big box with a game and a few promo things in it.

I read: free game demo, free t-shirt, free instruction manual, free cardboard box, free brow wrapping paper (if you shredded it, it's your problem!)

I turned to my mostly intact brown husk.

"…If I tape it…" I shake my head, and dig around in the box to find a box with the game demo in it.

I looked at the manual, then the box, then my computer.

I decided that manual might taste good stir-fried and that this box will provide all the needed info. So sat down in my awesome swivel chair and popped the first CD into the computer.

I practically glued my eyes to the screen as the loading bar popped up. And here's the highlight reel of my evening.

12percent spinny spinny spinny spinny…

14percent Sick sick sick sick sick.

23percent(you get it now, right?) hungry… hungry… hungry…

26 back with pizza.

32 pizza is gone, box, is gone, attained collection of cardboard origami cranes.

40 changed discs.

41 took a catnap.

48 started flinging pens and pencils into the ceiling.

52 got hungry again.

56 back with Chinese take-out.

57 attempted to master the art of flinging dumplings at my lamp shade.

58 rendered unconscious by stray dumpling.

63 woke from coma due to me thinking I was going to be buried.

68 finished my hour long, one-sided conversation with Mariah.

70 changed discs.

73 spinny spinny spinny spinny spinny.

76 sick, dizzy, sick, dizzy, collapse.

82 waking from coma again.

89 jumping up and down about a bazillion times.

91 dead tired from jumping up and down a bazillion times.

93 party hat strapped on, confetti ball readied, and 3 tons of sugar consumed.

93.5 Running around the outside of my apartment complex stark naked.

97 thrown back inside by the police.

100 showered in confetti and rolling around the apartment on my chair shouting Happy Easter!

I'll bet if Kai had a highlight reel it would say: 1 sitting patiently, 5-98- still sitting patiently. 100- destroyed the computer, oops.

Yup, that'd be Kai, alright. I nod to myself then roll up the computer, spinning one last time before kindda reading the game instructions.

"Arrow keys, more keys, stuff, blah, blah, blah, yeah, yeah, I get it already! It's just like every other pc game!" I shouted at the computer, going a bit crazy (yes, just a bit…).

I clicked through something I probably should have read and another one and then the whole introduction. Oopsie… Too much sugar… and caffeine… and insanity…

Yet somehow I was still able to figure out what approximately was happening. I get to choose a character, and some other things… I sure wish I didn't click through all those directions.

I stared at the screen, waiting for it to maybe help me out. I seen something start to happen and leaned forward. I was almost an inch away when the most horrid thing popped up!

A full screen sized picture of Mariah's face flashed onto the screen. I screamed bloody murder, shouting gibberish about the video game taking over my body and trying to eat soul…

Needless to say my neighbors all banded together and shot me up with tranquillizers. You'd think that over hundred of those darts would kill. (I hadn't meant to wake the people in the complex next to this one…)

So all night I was feeling pretty good. I even figured out that I stared at the computer so long the screen saver started. I had a good, dying chuckle about that.

Then I giggled the mouse and started clicking buttons.

I ended up having a character with black hair pulled into a tacky ponytail, a long dress thing they were trying to call a robe, and he was a cleric of some goodly god. Yay, super special awesome priest powers…

I was really enjoying playing the game too! It was great! I could kill these monsters and gather herbs. Though I really should have inspected that one cuz now my character is covered in a red rash…

But flaws aside, I really like it; maybe I'll buy it. Maybe.

As I played I noted that it was rain outside. I glowered at the window, wishing the curtain closed. They didn't yield so I turned back to game. As I played I was barely phased by the lightning, it was the thunder that was unnerving. I would turn to the window each time, earning me a loss. But I was practically pro! This was easy!

So I didn't even know what hit me when a sudden blast of electricity flew up my fingers. The computer convulsed, sparking and growling. I was knocked back, slamming my head into the wall.

All I could see was black with blips of light as the sparks leapt from the computer, but soon they too died away, washed away by the eternal darkness that claimed.

Unbeknownst to me, the phone rang behind me, ushering me away.

Duh duh duh dun! Whatever will happen next!? Will Ray live? Will this story take the usual path and send him into the cyber world? Will we ever know why Kai called to hang on Ray? Will I ever quit being annoying? We may never know! Unless you stay tuned for the exciting chapter! Yay! More chapters!