Long time, no see, everyone! Wow, it's been seven and a half months since I last posted anything here and I have just hated that I haven't been able to write or post something. Or, you know, do much of anything really.

For anyone who cares, I've been pretty sick since December 2023 with long covid for the second time. For several months, I hated every second of every day. But, just like the first time this happened, time eventually heals, even if it is at a glacial pace. I'm thankfully to a point where I can at least somewhat function and enjoy parts of my life again and I've been able to finally play Persona 3 Reload after being woefully unable to when it released earlier this year.

That's inspired me to write again for the first time since this illness started. So finally, I have the physical ability and the motivation to actually try writing again. But, if you're here from my unfinished Zelda project "Stars in the Darkest Night," I'll be totally honest – I have next to zero motivation to write that story right now. I won't be abandoning it or leaving it unfinished forever, but it's such a deeply daunting prospect to jump back into that story at the halfway point. I do want to finish that story, but it's going to have to happen some other day.

So that brings us to this current work! Persona 3 was once my favorite game of all time and Reload has cemented itself in that position once again. I am absolutely enamored with the story, the characters, the world, everything about it, just like I was the first time I experienced it. What's very different this time though is my appreciation of Fuuka, something I didn't really have the first time I played the PS2 version. Hearing her actually be voiced in-game by the incredible Noto Mamiko and seeing the new art, new style, the new added scenes, the ways they fleshed out her character so much, just made me adore her, probably more so than many of the others at this point.

So this "story" is actually going to be a series of snapshots that take place throughout the game through the lens of a Fuuka/MC romance, told from Fuuka's perspective. I thought about making this into a whole game retelling starting from when Fuuka joined but to be honest I just don't want to take on that kind of depth of project right now. I don't think I'm well enough nor motivated enough to. But this is a much easier thing to do – a series of many smaller, shorter chapters that just capture little moments in time throughout the game. That means I'm going to be assuming anyone reading this already knows the plot of Persona 3 and we'll be touching on small details and enormous spoilers alike as they come up contextually in the plot. So just be ready for that.

There is no upload schedule with this one - I'll just be posting these chapters as they're ready. They'll be pretty short for the most part, a far cry from what I usually post, but I'm not up for 10K+ word weekly chapters at this point and probably won't be for a long while again. But I'm just glad to be back and writing a little. These will probably be between 1K-2K words each chapter, literally short little snippets of story. Unless I get more long winded later as we go along, of course.

As a note, I'm aware that the movies and the dancing game called the MC "Yuuki Makoto," and that's great! But I'm going to use his now-ancient manga name "Arisato Minato" because that's what he was the first time I played the game and that's who he still is in terms of the game to me. Yuuki Makoto has an established personality – he's a nihilist and a bit stunted in his ability to relate to people at first, which makes for a compelling character arc as he grows in the movies. But the way I play the game and think of him is very different. So this version of the MC, my take on Arisato Minato, will be a bit of a different character that you'll meet in the same way Fuuka does and I hope you enjoy it!

Finally, we're going full-on weeb with this one folks – Japanese honorifics, last name-first name, cultural differences, blah blah blah, stuff you're already familiar with if you know these games. I'm doing a bit more than the localization does (i.e. not reversing the names, etc.) but you'll be able to follow it all just fine if you're familiar with the source material at all.

For now, I hope you're ready for a very gentle, sweet romance between two quiet characters. I'll be adding and embellishing a lot of scenes with them that might take place were the plot to actually transform depending on who the romantic interest is. And as a fun note, I chose the title because Noto Mamiko voices a very soft and sweet Fuuka which I absolutely adore, but also because the MC is very soft spoken and quiet in general himself – it's a tale two reserved people coming together.

Anyway, please kick back, come along for the ride, and I hope you enjoy "Pastel Voices." Thank you for reading my first work back in a long time!

Pastel Voices

Chapter 1 – A Chance to Start Over

Yamagishi Fuuka gazed around her new room in wonder. She had never imagined what it would feel like to live in a dorm with other students before but her first evening had been quite pleasant, perhaps even exciting. When Kirijo-senpai and Ikutsuki-san had seen to it that her parents were properly informed and dealt with, she had actually breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't going to be stuck at home with them anymore.

It had been suffocating for so long.

This new room, though? It was warm, inviting, relaxing – everything she had longed for across the last many years. And she was surrounded by such kind people now, too. The group of Gekkoukan students called themselves SEES and they had truly amazed her. Not only had they saved her life from the terrifying monsters prowling that sickly tower she'd found herself trapped in, they had kindly welcomed her amongst their ranks. She wanted desperately to pay them back for their kindness in whatever ways possible.

Especially their leader.

Arisato Minato, the de facto field commander for the Specialized Extracurricular Execute Sector. He had been the first to approach her in the tower known as Tartarus. Through the growling and squelching of monsters, she had heard the voices of three humans. And upon finally seeing their faces, her legs had given out in relief. Arisato-kun had rushed to her and knelt down, placing a kind arm around her shoulders to steady her and prevent her from collapsing completely to the ground.

After making sure she was okay, the four had set off for the exit. She had no idea what was going on, but she felt safe. Arisato-kun kept her close, his sword drawn and his sharp eyes scanning every pulsating corner of the foul place, searching for anything that might endanger her. And once they had escaped and found the other team members in danger, Fuuka herself had awakened to a power she'd never imagined. She was able to protect her classmate Moriyama-san and even support her saviors in battle, leading them to a stunning victory before she finally passed out.

Fuuka shook herself from her daze, her eyes coming back into focus and locking onto the desktop screen of her laptop. It really had been one of the most impossible to believe situations she'd ever experienced in her short lifetime. As she'd come to learn from Ikutsuki-san and the others, the monsters were called Shadows and they were the enemy of mankind. She had a special power that could help SEES not only to explore and conquer Tartarus, but to defeat the Shadows and protect humanity from their curse. It was something only she could do.

So she had joined them without hesitation.

Takeba Yukari had seemed upset at first, worried that their senpai were forcing Fuuka into the group. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. In fact, Fuuka very much wanted to do this. It gave her a purpose, something greater than languishing beneath her parents' inferiority complexes. Perhaps in time she could even make friends with the other members of the team. Perhaps she could even better herself while she was here. That was something she deeply wanted.

Becoming friends with everyone felt far more attainable right now, though. Kirijo-senpai and Takeba-san had kindly offered to help move her into her room. The boy with the baseball cap, Iori Junpei, had seemed quite disappointed when he was told to leave the process to the girls, but the older boy, star boxer Sanada Akihiko, had taken Iori-kun away, telling them to call if they needed any assistance. The last member of SEES, Arisato-kun, hadn't come back to the dorm yet.

Fuuka had quickly shaken from her head the nagging feeling of disappointment at that fact.

Now, hours later, here she was, settling into her new room and making it feel like home. She had never seen nor placed her personal possessions anywhere but her childhood bedroom and it felt both familiar and foreign to be doing such a thing now. There was a tinge of electric excitement to every move of her laptop, every repositioning of her notebooks, every placement of book and pen, every article of clothing she hung in her new closet. It was all so…different.

'Maybe…maybe I really can start over here. Maybe I can find a place where I can make a difference. A place where I belong…'

Fuuka found her mind idly wandering back to the leader of SEES once more. Had he felt the same way at first? Was that why Arisato-kun had joined SEES as well? She couldn't quite pinpoint the reason, but she got the sense that he had been alone quite often in his life, even just from the two real times she'd interacted with him. Maybe it was the way he carried himself that seemed to mirror her past circumstances. Or maybe it was the way he seemed to maintain just a little distance between himself and the people around him that made her think of herself.

She shook her head quickly.

'I shouldn't be assuming so much about his life, especially not after he saved me so selflessly. What do I know about his reasons or motivations for being a little withdrawn? Maybe he's just a shy person. Maybe he's been hurt or betrayed in the past. Maybe I'm just completely wrong about him. It could just be that Arisato-kun takes a while to warm up to people.'

Fuuka paused for a moment, gazing again at the laptop before her. It did nothing to tear her focus away from the mysterious leader.

"I wonder…if he'll ever warm up to me."

A sudden knock on the door almost caused her to yelp in surprise. Hopefully whoever it was hadn't overheard her.

"Y-yes?"

"It's Takeba," came a cheery voice through the door. "I just wanted to see how you're settling into your new room!"

Fuuka breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed like she hadn't been heard after all.

"Please, come in," she called back, her soft voice somehow managing to resonate around the spacious room.

Takeba Yukari entered the room, her usual pink blouse contrasting sharply with the muted green colors of Fuuka's own clothing, both the outfit she was currently wearing and the collection of clothing in the still-open closet she was sorting through.

"You look like you're settling in well; I'm glad. I was a little worried we were pushing you to change too much too fast," the taller girl began, smiling down at her.

Fuuka simply shook her head, a calm smile of her own stealing her lips as she rose to her feet.

"Not at all. I'm actually very comfortable here. Thank you again for helping me bring my things up earlier."

"Of course! Besides, I wasn't gonna let Junpei do it."

The way she rolled her eyes and the brief look of amused disgust she offered made Fuuka giggle.

"Well, I appreciate that you and Kirijo-senpai were here to offer your help instead. I appreciate your consideration, Takeba-san," she repeated, bowing her head lightly.

The taller girl laughed and shook her head.

"Hey, none of that! We're the same age and we've been through more already than most friends would have to deal with in years. Call me 'Yukari;' you don't have to be formal with me. Sound good, Fuuka?"

Fuuka gazed at her in wonder for several moments. She was so bright and amicable and kind. Her aura drew you in effortlessly and her warmth made you want to stay right there by her side. It was an incredible talent. Was it even a talent? Perhaps it was just who she was.

A larger smile stole Fuuka's lips, one she couldn't have resisted if she wanted.

"I'd like that a lot…Yukari-chan."

Yukari's face lit up.

"That's more like it!"

The two girls laughed together for a moment before Yukari pointed innocuously to the laptop on the table.

"Ooh, are you good with computers?"

Fuuka felt her cheeks heat up a bit but decided not to hide who she really was from her first new friend in SEES.

"Um, I'm fairly familiar with them, yes. I've been around computers and machines for most of my life."

"Wow, that's amazing! I'm no good with that kinda stuff; can you teach me a little sometime?"

Her eyes were sparkling as she made her request. Fuuka felt her heart soar at being asked to do something for her new friend. It was the first time someone had made a request to spend time with her like that. It made her feel so very happy.

"Of course! I'd be happy to."

"Perfect! Maybe we can get together down in the lobby after dinner? Once you're all finished unpacking of course."

"I'd really like that, Yukari-chan."

"Great, I'm looking forward to it!"

With that, Yukari said her goodbyes and left the room, Fuuka easing the door shut behind her. A bright smile remained on her face for the remainder of the time she spent unpacking before dinner.

It looked like she had made her first real friend in a long time. And even though the threat of the Shadows and the importance of SEES's mission were both immense, there was something exciting about the situation as well, a fact Fuuka was rapidly coming to terms with and accepting completely.

"I…can't wait to see what happens from here. I hope I can become friends with everyone here at the dorm."

She merrily continued to unpack the last of her clothes as she thought up ways to teach Yukari the basics of computers later.

7/16/24