He's lost count of all the times he's reset the timeline.
The same year, relived over and over. The year that should have been his senior year, if he actually bothered to attend most days, but he'd gotten tired of the same lessons over and over. He's memorized them all, he rationalizes, so there's not much use in showing up except for exams. There's too much to do, and if he has to forego his last year of school for a shot at making this timeline the one where everything works out, then that's a price he's willing to pay.
He's lucky that his Persona even has this ability, he reminds himself. Castor might not be able to use any elemental spells - he'll never be able to shock his foes with Zio skills like Aki, or incinerate them like Junpei can - but he has his ax, his physical attacks, and a shot at making everything finally go right.
Initially, he just wanted to save her. The moment he found out about that idiot plan Yukari and Junpei had cooked up, he ran after them. But he still arrived just barely too late; late enough to see what at first seemed like an unlikely victory for the junior SEES members. They were exhausted and bruised, but they had come out on top. He'd been so relieved when Minako had turned around, smiling as she said hello like it was no big deal.
And then a knife pierced through her chest.
That moment felt like an eternity. All he could do was stare in horror as she looked down at her shirt, which was rapidly turning crimson. He'd always regret later that he'd let the guy who stabbed her - sweet, friendly, kind Minako, who only fought to protect and defend people - get away with it, even if it ultimately changed nothing. But as soon as his shock wore off, she swayed backwards, and he ran to catch her as she fell, holding her as the coward (who brought a knife to a fistfight and saved it until after the fighting was over?) vanished in the chaos.
They tried everything: every healing item they'd found in Tartarus, all their expensive medicines, Io's healing skills, but nothing had worked. Minako had looked up at him, smiled for the last time, and died in his arms.
An instant later, he was in an elevator.
A short man with the longest nose Shinjiro had ever seen sat there, flanked by a taller, younger man dressed in blue and holding a massive book.
What was this place? Had he somehow died along with Minako? He didn't know what kind of afterlife he expected, but this definitely wasn't it.
"Shinjiro Aragaki. The Moon. A truly fitting arcana for the situation at hand." The shorter man gave an enigmatic smile as he turned to face him. "Do not fret; this is no afterlife. It is far from the end of your story."
Before Shinjiro could ask any of the many questions he had - where was he, how did he get here, who were these people, how did this man know his name and thoughts - he was interrupted by the man again.
"I am Igor, and this is Theodore. Welcome to the Velvet Room."
Shinjiro grit his teeth. "Just what do you think you're doing? You drag me here, and then you don't even explain what's going on. I want answers."
The same mysterious smile. This was starting to get on his nerves.
"Just as I expected, and answers are what you shall receive, if you listen to what I have to say. It seems that our guest, your friend, has met a most unfortunate end."
Minako. Somehow, Minako was involved in this Velvet Room. Or rather, had been involved, he corrected himself, a pang of sorrow shooting through him like ice.
"As she possesses great power and importance, this presents a great obstacle in not only her destiny, but that of the entire world."
"What does it matter?" Shinjiro swallowed, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. He couldn't cry, not now. "She... she's gone. You said so yourself."
"I merely said that she had met an unfortunate end. I never stated that she was gone."
"She's dead," Shinjiro growled. "Stop with your stupid riddles, old man. People die when they're killed, and that's exactly what happened. I would know, seeing how I was there when she was bleeding out. If you brought me here to torment me about it, you've had your fun. Now let me go back."
The one Igor had called Theodore look troubled, clearing his throat as he began to speak. "You do not understand. Miss Arisato-"
"Thank you, Theodore," Igor interrupted, "But he has demanded answers from me, so I shall deliver them." Theodore nodded, and Igor turned to face Shinjiro again.
"You were not brought here for the sake of torment over her death. This place, the Velvet Room, exists between worlds. Anyone can be brought here. But it was you, and you alone, who was selected. Only you, Shinjiro Aragaki, can fulfill the task at hand, for the sake of our guest whom you hold so dear."
Normally, he'd have demanded to be sent back. But for Minako..."I'm listening."
Igor spread cards out on the table in front of him. Tarot cards, Shinjiro recognized, though he couldn't tell them apart. Was Igor trying to read his future?
"Ah, yes... Your path will be a long and arduous one. However, you have the strength of heart to forge ahead. Should you reach your goal and find the true path to the future, it shall have been worth all your struggles." Another swipe of his hand, and the cards vanished. "Theodore, I believe it is your turn."
Theodore nodded, looking at Shinjiro. "The book I hold in my hands is the Persona Compendium. It lists all Personas, as well as their skills and attributes. In my studies of it, your Persona, Castor, caught my attention. In spite of its inability to learn elemental skills, it has great untapped potential. Enough, in fact, to make it truly extraordinary. The wielder of such a Persona is precisely the kind of person we need for this task.
"You keep talking about some task I have. What, exactly, do you want me to do?"
"Precisely the inquiry I have been anticipating." Igor looked Shinjiro dead in the eyes.
"It seems that our current guest holds great importance to you. What if I told you that you could save her?"
This started out as a oneshot, but it grew, so it'll be at least a couple of chapters, most likely. I'm hoping to update this on a fairly regular basis, though the next few weeks may be a little hectic for me due to finals, so I appreciate your patience!
I really liked Shinjiro in the game, but I was disappointed that, even though you can save his life if you play as a girl (which I was), he's still in the game only for a short while. Hopefully I can expand upon what he was up to "behind the scenes", and give him a bit more of the limelight.
Reviews are always appreciated!
(As a side note: the first time I tried to upload this, the formatting somehow ended up getting massively messed up, so I had to delete it. Hopefully, it'll work right this time.)