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Benkei had always been a sweet boy. He was caring and considerate towards all of his friends' feelings, he never missed a birthday or other important event, and he was well-practised in giving the best hugs around. He had so many friends to care about, it was almost hard to keep up with it all. But he never complained, because his heart was fuller than it had ever been, and he intended to fit even more people inside. It was a miracle he turned out so kind-hearted, given his upbringing.
He grew up in the rough side of Metal Bey City, in a small apartment building with his mother and father. It was run-down and beat-up, their shady landlord hardly bothering with repairs. He knew how desperate everyone who lived there was, and he thrived off of it. So, with little money and terrible living conditions, tensions were always high in the Hanawa family.
His father drowned his sorrows- and most of the money- in alcohol, which led to arguments with his wife, which led to... unpleasant encounters. It was from growing up here that Benkei learned to study the people around him carefully. He looked for all the little mannerisms his father showed when he was upset, and listened to not just his words, but his tone. Eventually, he could read his father like a preschool book, able to navigate his delicate emotions and avoid many of his outbursts. Alas, even being as careful as he was, sometimes these things were just unavoidable- especially in a home so small.
His only saving grace was his mother, a kind, caring woman who loved her son fiercely. She tried her best to protect him from not just his father, but other dangerous people as well. Whenever Benkei came home from school with a bloodied nose or a black eye, she would rant about being worried about him while she patched him up, before wrapping him up in a blanket and cradling him in her arms on the couch. Eventually, she began to teach him some self-defence techniques that she picked up in her youth, and the black eyes slowly came to a stop.
He had a few friends that lived in his building, all just as dirt-poor as him. Benkei was the most popular of the group, partially because he could now defend himself and his friends from bullies, but mostly because he was the only one with a TV. They would spend most afternoons crowded around it when his father wasn't home from work yet, watching various sports broadcasts. But their all-time favourite was, of course, Beyblade. They all went crazy for it, picking up all of the terms and strategies purely from watching it on TV as none of them had enough money for a bey of their own.
Until one day, one of his friends came home from school boasting about getting a bey of his very own. Everyone was in awe and begged to know how he managed to get a hold of it. He was hesitant to tell them at first, but eventually he caved, admitting that he had stolen the bey. They were all shocked at first, but after he explained that it was from one of the bullies who misused his bey, they all came to accept it. They shared the bey, taking turns ripping it and watching it spin to a stop. Benkei was by far the best out of the group, having the most strength and highest spirit.
There was an ammeter Beyblade competition near where they lived, with cash prizes for the top three bladers! So the group elected Benkei to enter the competition with their bey. He trained his hardest every day after school, his friends cheering him on and giving him tips. He entered the competition with the utmost confidence, even though he had never actually battled another blader before. Nevertheless, he went on to come third! Sure, he wasn't at the top, and the prize money split between him and his friends wasn't much, but he was still stoked!
He and his friends went on like this for a while, taking turns using the bey in different competitions, getting stronger and winning more money to split between them. They also decided to put some of the money into a shared piggy bank to use to buy more Beyblade gear, upgrades, and eventually another bey for the group. Things were going well for them. They found a big old warehouse near the docks with lots of room for training and breaking things, so they turned it into their hangout. Their parents didn't care what they were up to so long as they were out of the way, and sometimes they even appreciated the spare change the kids brought home from their battles.
Everything was fine, and Benkei was happy. Until one day, after coming home from training, he learned that his mother was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. His father refused to say what happened, but deep down, Benkei knew what happened. His father's red knuckles and the unruly state of the house were all too loud. He refused to take Benkei to see her in the hospital, and he was too young to go himself. Now that he was without his mother's protection, everything changed. There was no one there to patch him up after a fight or a bey battle, no one to wrap him up and hold him until he fell asleep. His home was no longer safe. He had to get out.
One night, he gathered up a few of his belongings and his share of the competition money, left a note for his friends outside of one of their apartments, and snuck out. It was cold and dark, and he had no idea where he was going. He wandered aimlessly for a while, gripping his backpack straps tightly out of fear, until he remembered the warehouse. He rushed down to the docks of Metal Bey City, the tides crashing heavily on the shore. Now shaking violently from the cold, fear and exhaustion, he used all his leftover strength to push the doors of the warehouse open. It was cold and dark inside, but at least it was familiar. He found a nice corner, rolled out his sleeping bag and cuddled up to his backpack, humming himself to sleep.
He awoke surrounded by all of his friends, temporarily forgetting what had happened last night and where he was. Once his head was cleared, his friends sat down with him and he explained his situation. After a lot of serious discussion, some of his friends in similar situations decided to join him. They properly cleaned up and organised the warehouse and then devised a plan. They all stopped going to school, focusing all of their energy on their one way of making money: Beyblade. They would train relentlessly to get better and enter competitions with cash prizes. They elected Benkei as their leader, being the strongest and smartest of the gang.
This worked fine for a little while, but there were a lot of mouths to feed and money was dwindling. They didn't have enough to spend on Beyblade related stuff, so they couldn't properly repair their beys which took a toll on their battle performance. Something had to be done before they lost all of their money. Then they remembered how they got their first bey. Stealing a bey from someone who clearly didn't deserve one wasn't so bad... and there were definitely a lot of people around here that didn't deserve one. So that's what they did, sneaking through gym locker rooms and swiping unattended beys.
That did the job for a while, but their usual victims were starting to get angry, watching out for them and attacking them on the street while demanding their beys back. The gang needed a new plan. Metal Bey City was filled with young and upcoming bladers. They would be easy pickings and very easily intimidated by them. Benkei was hesitant at first. He remembered the bullies he faced when he was younger and how defeated he always felt. But he was this gang’s leader. These were his friends, and his friends were starving.
Benkei swallowed his guilt and toughened himself up. He was already a big kid, so with the right expression, his looks alone would be enough to intimidate any kid. If necessary, he would battle and easily defeat the kids for their beys. They began to get quite the reputation, becoming known around the area as the ‘Face Hunters’. Despite the shame, Benkei had to admit he liked the name and the power he now had. He kept up the tough façade around the group to save face. It was tiring, but he had to keep his friends safe.
Their reputation only grew, notorious for being dangerous both on and off the battlefield. Benkei almost didn't need to try anymore to get what he wanted, at least until he came along. A blader he'd never heard of before now being referred to as the best in the city. They said he was as wild as the wind and as fearsome as a lion. His name? Kyoya Tategami. Benkei knew he had to challenge him, to show him who's in charge in this city.
He found him on the shoreline, looking as wild as his reputation. At first he seemed careless and laidback, overconfident in himself. Benkei thought beating him would be a breeze. But it wasn't. Kyoya had beaten him as if it was as easy as breathing. But that didn't stop Benkei. He tried and tried again to best the King of Beasts himself, all day he kept at it until his hands were burning and his head was spinning. Even after all of that loss, he didn't feel sad. No, he felt inspired. He hadn't been challenged like that in a long time, only battling to take beys and keep up his image. But Kyoya's ferocity inspired something inside of him, that same love of battling he had had when he was little.
So Benkei invited Kyoya to lead the Face Hunters, to take them to greater heights. Kyoya seemed indifferent to the whole thing and insisted this was a professional relationship only. So when he provided the whole gang with professional blading gear, Benkei wrote it off as a business expense. And when he started paying for all of their meals, Benkei figured it was just to keep their strength up. And when Benkei's mother's medical bills were magically paid off, Benkei knew he just wanted to get rid of distractions. He never questioned his leaders actions or intent, so long as he still cared for the group.
Kyoya's presence made the gang grow colder and less personal as they fought ruthlessly through the city, but Benkei never lost his gooey centre. He still cared for all of his old friends, and he adored his new leader, but they all seemed to drift away with the promise of power.
But one day, after Gingka Hagane came to town and turned his whole life on its head, and his leader was being kept as a lab rat to some creep with a vengeance, he saw a little boy he had continuously bullied display the same spirit he had. He saw him try and try again until he had nothing left. And he saw himself with the life he never had, brought up by two loving parents, able to keep food on the table, and a bey he earned instead of stole. But he was still fighting just the same as Benkei was. Maybe people outside of the gang could understand him. Maybe he didn't need to keep up his harsh appearance to maintain people's respect. Maybe things could be different for him, and everyone else, if he just reached out. And he did. And it was the best decision he'd ever made.