AN:

Having watched both Junpei and Akihiko's shower scene in P3P, I agreed with the many YouTube commenters who would've loved to see it with Shinji. So instead of wishing, I decided to write my own as motivation for my current in-progress ShinjiroxMinako fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor any part of the Persona or SMT series.

"…Embrace your desire."

A strange voice was echoing in the brunette's head as she lay face-up in the middle of a large bed of the motel that SEES were currently supposed to be infiltrating. ...What was going on? It would've been silent, but there was a strange sound reminiscent of static filling the air. Minako Arisato's head was cloudy and she couldn't seem to open her eyes all the way, however there was definitely something she was supposed to be doing right now.

"…Huh?" Minako turned her head in the direction of a door that she assumed lead into a bathroom, as the windows into that room were obscured by steam. The lone sound of the shower running must've been what she'd mistaken for static. But something specific caught her attention in this completely obtuse scene, and she couldn't help but voice it out loud.

"…Why is the shower running?"

A loud crack broke the silence. Minako whimpered in pain and her hands reflexively shot up to her face. Something was wrong and her head felt like it was splitting open. It didn't take long before she felt unbelievably nauseous.

"Embrace your desire… I am the voice of your inner self…" It was the voice from before, but it was more forceful this time

"…My inner self? Wh-What's going on here?" Minako, still in great pain, could barely hear herself think as the voice continued to speak to her.

"That which cannot be felt is merely a dream… The present is all we have."

"That's not true…" She was suddenly overcome with a sense of dread. This wasn't right, but how could she stop it when she didn't even understand what's going on?

"The future is but a fantasy, memory a fabrication… Let your desire free from your shackles… Such is my wish…"

"I can't give in…" She felt her senses slowly returning to her and realized what was happening. She needed to resist.

"Pleasure is what you truly want," Minako felt a lump in her throat at these words, but it continued. "You stand before the doorway to bliss. You cannot deny your instincts… Embrace your desire…"

"Not now…" She couldn't ignore how those last comments made her feel, but she was sure it wasn't the time to entertain such thoughts. Not during a mission where there were innocent lives on the line.

Minako's head felt much clearer. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before sighing in relief, "That was rough…"

She sat up and observed the surrounding area now that she no longer felt fatigued. To her immediate horror, she noticed that her school uniform seemed to be scattered in pieces around the foot of the bed. Her blouse was still on, but half open, and her skirt was pushed all the way up her thighs.

Minako staggered up as quickly as her disarrayed wardrobe would allow, and began hastily redressing herself after discovering her underwear on an end table next to several open condom wrappers that made her feel sick when she spotted them. It was then she noticed that the air was thick with the smell of sweat and several other smells Minako was not sure she could identify, but knew she could guess.

Nearly a minute later, the shower turned off. Minako, now fully dressed and adjusting her ribbon, turned her attention toward the door. In the confusion, she had completely forgotten that it was still running. But if it turned off, did that mean there was someone in there? She never even considered that as a possibility, but after seeing the state of the room, that was the only explanation. And she went numb once more as the door opened.

"Hey, Minako," It was Shinjiro. He was leaning in the doorway and wearing only a bath towel. His dark brown hair was wet and pushed slightly out of his eyes, which had a hungry, lustful look in them. Minako, as horrified as she was, immediately noted how toned he looked without the heavy coat he never seemed to remove, even in the hottest weather.

He took a few steps toward her and into the bedroom, now close enough to see that there were beads of water still clinging to his bare chest. She turned away from him, face completely flushed and eyes shut as tightly as possible in a fit of utter distress.

"Heh, why'd you get dressed? You can't be feeling shy now," Minako let out an embarrassed squeal as Shinjiro approached her from behind, burying his face into her hair while wrapping his arms around her waist, "Come on, let's go another round. I'll make you scream again."

Wide-eyed, Minako turned around and shoved Shinjiro away. "S-stop it, Senpai! You need snap out of it!" She was shaking in what could've been fear or embarrassment – but more likely a mix of the two. There was another loud cracking noise; Shinjiro grabbed his head and groaned in pain. After several seconds, he lifted his gaze to Minako in confusion.

"…What the hell? What's going on here, Minako?" He looked quickly around the room, "Where are we and… where are the others? Come on, we have to get the hell out of here."

"I-I don't know. We got separated somehow b-but…" She trailed off and eyed him nervously, as though he would begin invading her personal space again at any moment, "Shouldn't you put your clothes on..? B-Before we go..?"

Shinjiro looked at her as if she was speaking nonsense. "My clothes? What do you-" But it only took one glance down for him to see what she meant. His face turned red and he was clearly shocked. He only managed a few words before disappearing back into the bathroom, "Ch-Change… Be … J-Just… A minute."

While waiting, Minako bit her lip, worried by the situation. It seemed neither of them remembered anything, but the room was all the evidence she needed. It's true she had been thinking of Shinjiro as more than a friend for a while, but she never thought something like this would happen between them.

"Maybe I shouldn't tell him…" Minako decided this was probably for the best as she quickly tidied the bed sheets and hid the incriminating wrappers that confirmed her fears in the beginning. "The last thing I want to do is make him feel guilty. This isn't my fault or his… But if that's so… why do I feel so sad?" She rubbed her eyes and tried to ignore the burning in the back of her throat. Now wasn't the time to lament lost love. She had to contact Fuuka.

As if reading her thoughts, Minako heard her friend's voice calling out to her, "Oh! I can finally reach you! Can you two hear me?"

"I hear you," Minako smiled to herself as she answered. It was nice to listen to the voice of a sane person.

"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner… The shadow was interfering with your thoughts…"

"Tell me something I don't know," Minako pursed her lips in displeasure. Of course she couldn't remember anything, but that didn't stop her from regretting it.

"The enemy is still in the same room. Please regroup and hurry there."

"Thanks, tell the others we'll be over as soon as we can," While saying this, Minako couldn't help but wonder if Shinjiro was listening or not. He hadn't said a word after vanishing.

"Aragaki-senpai, can you hear me?" Fuuka, as attentive as always, was obviously pursuing the same train of thought. An odd rustling came from behind the closed door.

"Of course I can, you idiot," Shinjiro replied, though it didn't come out nearly as aggressive as he would have usually intended. Fuuka perhaps picked up on this, because there was a short pause before she spoke again.

"…Um, did something happen?" Shinjiro made no indication that he was planning to respond, so Minako felt she should at least say something to dissuade any ideas Fuuka or he might've gotten.

"Don't worry, we're fine," Her tone must've been convincing, because Fuuka didn't pursue the subject further. Just then, Shinjiro emerged from the bathroom, looking less flustered than when he retreated there in the first place.

"Okay, let's get the hell out of here," He growled, adjusting his beanie. Minako stayed where she was as he strode right past her and opened the door into the hallway. She couldn't help but be surprised that he didn't say anything else. Was he going to pretend it never happened? But Shinjiro didn't leave the room. He sighed and turned around, pacing right back up to her.

"Stop making me feel bad," He mumbled, looking somewhere past her eyes, "This wasn't exactly my proudest moment, but you didn't have to try and hide it from me."

"…I'm sorry," Minako looked at her feet. So he already figured it out. He more than likely put it together while he spent all that time getting changed. It was pretty stupid of her to think he wouldn't, but she was still incredibly embarrassed.

But she suddenly felt a hand on the back of her head, and Minako gasped in surprise. Shinjiro was leaning over her smaller figure and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. Directly after this, he tucked her head under his chin and brought his other hand up to her back and pressed her body against his in a tight embrace.

"You idiot. Don't apologize," He muttered, "This didn't start out right, but we can fix it once we get back. Now, come on. They're waiting for their leader."

And with that, Shinjiro let go of her and walked right out the door. Minako stood transfixed for only a moment before following right behind him with a smile and a blush on her face.