What the hell's goin on? I don't wanna talk about--
[No no no he doesn't wanna talk about this shit, so much so he's trying to cover up his mouth, visibly cringing but, but, taking a breath, and he practically YELLS it, his hand moving to grip his shirt hard, knuckles white--]
A-about how my dad used to beat me up when he drank too much!
[And the look of horror is clear on his face, but the dam broke, and he keeps talkin--]
He got in trouble at his job, and even though before he used to be a really okay guy, whenever he got drunk, he'd-- he'd take it out on me. I'd do a little thing wrong and end up with bruises--and...
[He's clenching his eyes shut, but it just won't STOP--]
Mom left-- he took it out on her too, and so she found a new job overseas and, sure, she pays for my school and stuff and I wanted her to be safe, damnit, but, I haven't seen her face to face in years, it feels like she abandoned me to him, even though I know, I-I know it was for the best--
And then!
[Noooo wait we're not supposed to talk about that--]
So I gain this crazy supernatural power, after being scared outta my mind cause suddenly the Moon's glowin' green, the lights all go out, there's blood everywhere, oh, right, and EVERYONE'S TURNED INTO A COFFIN! I get offered to join this super secret group to fight monsters during that 'secret hour' or whatever, but I can only summon my power by shooting myself in the head with a fake gun.
And... and even finally being special, even finally having something I can do that barely anyone else can... I'm still just average. Everyone else on the team-- the beautiful President of the Student Counsel-Heir to a Major Corporation, the handsome Captain of the Boxing team, the most popular girl in school, a computer wiz, the New girl-- who ends up having an even more special secret power, gets to be the leader... e-even though I know she was better for it than me. A freaking dog and little kid get to join, and...
[He's pacing now, even though he desperately wants it to stop, he just--]
And no one can know about what we're doing! We can't tell a soul, it's all secret-- we were riskin' our lives doing this thing, and... still expected to go to school and be all normal afterwards. And Minako, she just-- breezes by like it's nothing. Even though she was [Was, was, he HATED that it's was--] my best friend, I was so... s-so stupidly jealous of her.
...So, I... I end up meeting this girl. She's beautiful- gothic lolita, all in white in the middle of summer. Long red hair and red eyes. She's kinda weird and quiet, but she listens to me. I... I end up telling her about my power, playing up like I'm the leader. She compliments me, and it feels so great...
[He was smiling a little, remembering her, but it starts to fade]
...Only it turns out she's working for a bunch of crazy ass murderers with the same power as us. And she knocks me out and ties me up, telling the team she'll... she'll kill me if they go through fighting the big monster they were facing that day. She got caught instead and stuck in the hospital, and it turns out she was being like, driven nuts by her Persona-- I go and visit her every day I can, talking to her and just... trying to cheer her up. I called her my girl.
...during all this, one of my senpais... he gets shot. Not... not dead, but by the guy who was ordering Chidorita, like, her 'leader' or whatever. Shinjiro-senpai ended up in a coma for like... months...
Oh, and a month later we found out all that all thsoe boss shadows we fought? We were all just bein' manipulated by the Chairman of the school! Ikutsuki actually wanted to destroy the goddamn world, so he lied to all of us, and then freaking... crucified us ontop of Tartarus, and tried to get Ai-chan to shoot as an 'offering to Nyx'! Great, huh? Obviously, we lived, but Mitsuru-senpai's dad died... and the Chairman offed himself. So we couldn't, even get back at him for all this. For fucking with Chidorita and the rest of Strega. For all the people he hurt...
[God, please, he doesn't want to talk about this...]
So I just... tried to help Chidori. To get one thing right, you know? Be a hero to one person. But she told me she didn't wanna see me anymore. I... I didn't understand it at all! Then she just... vanishes from the hospital. She's at the front of Tartarus, and she's telling me I messed her up. I made her scared of dying, even though she was never scared of it before. I-I'd hurt her just being nice to her! Just... caring about her...
She... she started fighting all of us, but we stopped her. I tried to talk to her, to get her not to give up, that life was worth living, that I wouldn't leave her no matter what...
...Takaya, that bastard... he showed up again, mocking her, I swore I'd protect her with my life...
[And... he laughed. At this point tears were dripping down his cheeks, but he still had a lot to unload.]
...Only, he shot me. Heheh... right, right in the heart, I'm pretty sure. I should be dead. I should've died, but Chidori, she... she sacrificed her own life to save mine. She... died in my arms, just as she told me she loved me.
... I kinda only remember seeing red. I'm pretty sure I beat the hell out of Takaya and Jin. If Minako and Akihiko hadn't stopped me...
[At this point, he's looking away, unable to meet anyone's eyes.]
...Then, after all that...? We find out-- this new guy, Ryoji. He showed up pretty late in the new year. He was a pretty cool guy, we became friends really fast.
Only... heh, just my luck, right? He turns out to be the very thing we're fighting against. Like, he was actually the freaking final boss. The guy I knew wasn't even... really there. I was so angry-- at him, at everything! All that shit we went through for the entire year-- all those fights, all those deaths-- they were for nothing!
Ryoji gave us a choice, right? Kill him, we lose all our memories and don't need to know the world'll end in a few months. Or, wait a bit longer and try to fight him as is. We decide to fight.
We go, but... [His fists clench again. He hates this, he HATES this...]
It's no use. It's just-- unstoppable. So, Minako-- after everything she's gone through, everything-- she... does, something. Uses all her power to stop Nyx. To seal it, or something. I don't really know.
And then... I... [He covered his eyes this time, just... trying to keep himself from losing it completely--] I-I lost my memory. I knew... Knew something was wrong! Something wasn't right, something was missing, from all of us, but I couldn't remember what. And Minako... I think she knew. She must've, because she remembered, t-too much about me, she still had that piggy keychain I gave her, even, even after all that.
...W-when we all remembered, our promise... her, and everything she'd done for us... We... we were too late. She...
She was gone. I-I never got to tell her, how important She was to me... She died without us getting to tell her...!
[...And at this point, it finally ends, and Junpei just... cries. Give him a bit. That... was a lot he didn't wanna talk about.]
Junpei Iori | Persona 3 Portable (A touch of headcanon involved)
[No no no he doesn't wanna talk about this shit, so much so he's trying to cover up his mouth, visibly cringing but, but, taking a breath, and he practically YELLS it, his hand moving to grip his shirt hard, knuckles white--]
A-about how my dad used to beat me up when he drank too much!
[And the look of horror is clear on his face, but the dam broke, and he keeps talkin--]
He got in trouble at his job, and even though before he used to be a really okay guy, whenever he got drunk, he'd-- he'd take it out on me. I'd do a little thing wrong and end up with bruises--and...
[He's clenching his eyes shut, but it just won't STOP--]
Mom left-- he took it out on her too, and so she found a new job overseas and, sure, she pays for my school and stuff and I wanted her to be safe, damnit, but, I haven't seen her face to face in years, it feels like she abandoned me to him, even though I know, I-I know it was for the best--
And then!
[Noooo wait we're not supposed to talk about that--]
So I gain this crazy supernatural power, after being scared outta my mind cause suddenly the Moon's glowin' green, the lights all go out, there's blood everywhere, oh, right, and EVERYONE'S TURNED INTO A COFFIN! I get offered to join this super secret group to fight monsters during that 'secret hour' or whatever, but I can only summon my power by shooting myself in the head with a fake gun.
And... and even finally being special, even finally having something I can do that barely anyone else can... I'm still just average. Everyone else on the team-- the beautiful President of the Student Counsel-Heir to a Major Corporation, the handsome Captain of the Boxing team, the most popular girl in school, a computer wiz, the New girl-- who ends up having an even more special secret power, gets to be the leader... e-even though I know she was better for it than me. A freaking dog and little kid get to join, and...
[He's pacing now, even though he desperately wants it to stop, he just--]
And no one can know about what we're doing! We can't tell a soul, it's all secret-- we were riskin' our lives doing this thing, and... still expected to go to school and be all normal afterwards. And Minako, she just-- breezes by like it's nothing. Even though she was [Was, was, he HATED that it's was--] my best friend, I was so... s-so stupidly jealous of her.
...So, I... I end up meeting this girl. She's beautiful- gothic lolita, all in white in the middle of summer. Long red hair and red eyes. She's kinda weird and quiet, but she listens to me. I... I end up telling her about my power, playing up like I'm the leader. She compliments me, and it feels so great...
[He was smiling a little, remembering her, but it starts to fade]
...Only it turns out she's working for a bunch of crazy ass murderers with the same power as us. And she knocks me out and ties me up, telling the team she'll... she'll kill me if they go through fighting the big monster they were facing that day. She got caught instead and stuck in the hospital, and it turns out she was being like, driven nuts by her Persona-- I go and visit her every day I can, talking to her and just... trying to cheer her up. I called her my girl.
...during all this, one of my senpais... he gets shot. Not... not dead, but by the guy who was ordering Chidorita, like, her 'leader' or whatever. Shinjiro-senpai ended up in a coma for like... months...
Oh, and a month later we found out all that all thsoe boss shadows we fought? We were all just bein' manipulated by the Chairman of the school! Ikutsuki actually wanted to destroy the goddamn world, so he lied to all of us, and then freaking... crucified us ontop of Tartarus, and tried to get Ai-chan to shoot as an 'offering to Nyx'! Great, huh? Obviously, we lived, but Mitsuru-senpai's dad died... and the Chairman offed himself. So we couldn't, even get back at him for all this. For fucking with Chidorita and the rest of Strega. For all the people he hurt...
[God, please, he doesn't want to talk about this...]
So I just... tried to help Chidori. To get one thing right, you know? Be a hero to one person. But she told me she didn't wanna see me anymore. I... I didn't understand it at all! Then she just... vanishes from the hospital. She's at the front of Tartarus, and she's telling me I messed her up. I made her scared of dying, even though she was never scared of it before. I-I'd hurt her just being nice to her! Just... caring about her...
She... she started fighting all of us, but we stopped her. I tried to talk to her, to get her not to give up, that life was worth living, that I wouldn't leave her no matter what...
...Takaya, that bastard... he showed up again, mocking her, I swore I'd protect her with my life...
[And... he laughed. At this point tears were dripping down his cheeks, but he still had a lot to unload.]
...Only, he shot me. Heheh... right, right in the heart, I'm pretty sure. I should be dead. I should've died, but Chidori, she... she sacrificed her own life to save mine. She... died in my arms, just as she told me she loved me.
... I kinda only remember seeing red. I'm pretty sure I beat the hell out of Takaya and Jin. If Minako and Akihiko hadn't stopped me...
[At this point, he's looking away, unable to meet anyone's eyes.]
...Then, after all that...? We find out-- this new guy, Ryoji. He showed up pretty late in the new year. He was a pretty cool guy, we became friends really fast.
Only... heh, just my luck, right? He turns out to be the very thing we're fighting against. Like, he was actually the freaking final boss. The guy I knew wasn't even... really there. I was so angry-- at him, at everything! All that shit we went through for the entire year-- all those fights, all those deaths-- they were for nothing!
Ryoji gave us a choice, right? Kill him, we lose all our memories and don't need to know the world'll end in a few months. Or, wait a bit longer and try to fight him as is. We decide to fight.
We go, but... [His fists clench again. He hates this, he HATES this...]
It's no use. It's just-- unstoppable. So, Minako-- after everything she's gone through, everything-- she... does, something. Uses all her power to stop Nyx. To seal it, or something. I don't really know.
And then... I... [He covered his eyes this time, just... trying to keep himself from losing it completely--] I-I lost my memory. I knew... Knew something was wrong! Something wasn't right, something was missing, from all of us, but I couldn't remember what. And Minako... I think she knew. She must've, because she remembered, t-too much about me, she still had that piggy keychain I gave her, even, even after all that.
...W-when we all remembered, our promise... her, and everything she'd done for us... We... we were too late. She...
She was gone. I-I never got to tell her, how important She was to me... She died without us getting to tell her...!
[...And at this point, it finally ends, and Junpei just... cries. Give him a bit. That... was a lot he didn't wanna talk about.]