Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At first, it was (not really) okay.

Venoct said that even when the seal was at full power, it would take a little while for the portal between both worlds to close completely. After all, it had been running for Enma-knows-how-many years. The seal should be strong enough to keep any evil (or not-don't think about it-) Yo-kai out even with the portal still partly open. So there was no need to worry.

Nate worried anyways. (It felt wrong wrong wrong-)

It was weird, the last two months of summer having been around and with supernatural entities, only for things to suddenly... snap back to normal again (but it wasn't normal anymore). No more alleyways with Yo-kai that pop out at every corner. No more trips to the Yo-kai World. No more odd mood changes when a person was inspirited or sneaking out at night to explore the city with his Yo-kai friends.

No more Whisper to complain about how messy his room was. (Even though he had turned the room upside down just trying to hear him shout-)

No more Jibanyan who took naps on his carpet whith a half-eaten choco-bar in his paw. (He bought a big stash with his own money and put it in his drawer. He kept checking if the chocolate dissapeared, but it never did-)

Nate absolutely hated it.

No more Hidabat who's soft click of paws in the keyboard lulled him to sleep every night.

No more Venoct ocassionally popping up to ask questions about Mighty Dog's whereabouts. (And even though every time their answer was no idea he kept showing up-)

No more receiving letters from Komasan about his adventures in the big city with his little brother.

No more Kyubi to argue about how he could get his last Kyun Orb from another girl that wasn't Katie-

It had been a week.

Nate tried his hardest to stay cheerful and move on (they would meet again, he promised-). But it was difficult when every time his attention wondered -summer work is awful- he abstentmindedly doodled Yo-kai in the margins of his notebook (he gave up and just bought a sketchbook). When he kept going home through back alleys, subconciously trying to catch a glimpse of even Suspicioni or Cheeksqueek.

Because every time someone sneaked up on him (very few people-living with ghosts who can literally faze through walls does wonders for your stealth detector) or felt threatened his hand immediately went to the medals in his pocket (pretty much useless now, except he still couldn't make himself to leave them at home, the only indication it hadn't all been a dream-)

Because when he got nervous his hand abstentmindedly rubbed his empty wrist (wrongwrongwrong-) Because he turned around to comment something to Whisper and Jibanyan and he met only air. (And then it hit him all over again that they were gone, gone as never ever coming back-)

(They promised. They promised)

He felt like a piece of him that he didn't even know was missing was finally in place, only for the puzzle to be torn apart again barely two months later and leaving him very aware of the gaping hole in himself.

(Missing. Missing, I need to find them-)

It all came to a head the next day.

Nate was walking under the cherry trees (which he had to make bloom to save Springdale. He couldn't stomach even looking at a cherry since then without throwing up) when a click resounded in his ears. He stopped, suddenly aware that he was all alone. The Watch Wielder was for once grateful that summer had already ended and he was busy with classes, (if there is a teacher shouting at him to pay attention he isn't thinking about his -empty- wrist and -useless- medals-) but today it had taken him a bit longer than normal to clean up his part of the class. Then he had to go to the toilet. (fortunately, this was only a number one. A number two would be just embarrasing). All his friends (human friends, which he had known for a lot longer, but it wasn't the same the hole was still there-) were busy, and he hadn't brought his bike, so he was left to leg it home on his own. He squinted in front of him, where he could swear he saw the air shimmer-

The world suddenly seemed a bit- lackluster, as if the little something that made it special was no longer there. And then an aching hollowness spread in his chest, piercing his heart.

This wasn't anything new. His heart had been feeling a little hollow ever since he said goodbye to all his supernatural friends, but this was different. It was a hollowness that teared at his heart and broke it into a thousand sharp little shards, which then stabbed down and down again inside his chest, and again, and again and it hurts please make it stop-

(Everything's wrongwrongwrong-!)

He had just enough presence of mind to drag himself over behind the nearest cherry tree, his chest an inferno of searing white-hot blinding pain-

(No. Please!)

He leaned against the trunk, not noticing his bag digging against his back as he desesperaly tried to muffle his gasps on the sleeve of the hoodie he had brought today. Nate scrambled to put together what had happened and why did he feel so- so-

(It feels... empty)

And then he realised.

The part of his mind which hummed with warmth ever since he made his first Yo-kai friend and got his first medal (Jiban-!) was no longer. Now it was not there, just as it had been for his ten years of life (but not for the past two months-), and he had never before felt so utterly alone. The missing warmth was replaced by an icy coldness that descended in layers over him, sinking into his very bones and making his teeth chatter even though the warm summer breeze was still clinging to the air.

(Please come back. Come back.)

That's when he knew, the portal had finally closed completely down.

Salty drops ran down rosy cheeks, mixing with soft earth and decaying pink blossoms. His unheard wail was echoed by spectral voices which shuddered from the same sense of loss-

(I don't want to move on. I just want them to be back)

A kid with brown hair and brown eyes fell asleep under the old tree, fists clenched and cheeks stained, bag digging into his back, a look of pure agony etched in his features.

But then his brow relaxed, his face smoothed out, his fists unclenched. A small smile worked its way onto his lips just as a cold gust of wind brought a shower of pink flowers. When it receded, there was only a red and blue backpack where a boy once lay.

It went unnoticed. The only witnesses were the softly falling cherry blossoms, continuing their impassive descent towards the earth.

Chapter Text

At first, nobody noticed when the portal finally closed completely. To be fair, the Yo-Kai directly involved with the whole McKrakken incident had been incredibly busy ever since they said goodbye to Nate. They had to round up the huge number of white Yo-Kai that had turned tail as soon as the overgrown squid was defeated, and the Yo-Kai who weren't involved directly didn't even know that the portal was closing in the first place, content to demand answers from those who did know and taking up everybody's attention. (And making sure that everyone knew that Yo-Kai could uselessly mill around just as effectively as humans. Go figure.) The only ones keeping an eye on the portal were Venoct and Kyubi, and both were arguably the busiest, being the battle de-facto leaders of the White Extraction and checking the headcounts to ensure every Yo-Kai had arrived back from the Human Realm safely. Even Whisper, who wasn't a battler, and Jibanyan, who usually just lazed around and napped when there weren't any nearby trucks to fight had found themselves up to their necks (or where they were supposed to have necks. Yo-Kai biology is weird) in work, making sure every effort was put towards getting their world in order once again. (And if it was so they could get to work on opening the portal between worlds as soon as possible, well, no one had to know.)

And if someone accused them that the only reason they put so much energy into their world's rehabilitation was so that they wouldn't have to think about the emptiness in their cores? Stuff and nonsense, of course. They were perfectly fine without humans before. Just because they befriended Nate for a couple of months it didn't mean that they felt his absence keenly like a fresh wound that never quite healed.

Of course. Not at all.

("Liar, liar, pants on fire, hang them on a telephone wire-!")

Anyway.

It didn't quite hit them how far McKrakken's world-conquering ideologies had reached until they were hunting all over their world for his little white nuisances, Whisper mused as he hovered a safe distance behind a battling Venoct, recording on his Yo-Kai Pad another three white Yo-Kai captured and to be put into prison and rehabilitation. It was a wonder how they were able to keep their plan secret for so long when they had so many Yo-Kai reported as missing in their cause. Venoct wrapped up the battle (well, less of a battle and more of a beat-down, actually) with his Soultimate attack, the twin dragon heads of his scarf blurring with a sudden burst of speed, seeming to multiply as vicious bites rained down on his unfortunate opponents.

From under him, Jibanyan sat on the ground, watching despondently as the ninja yo-kai roughly tied up the defeated colourless spirits and threw them onto the flying carpet that will take them to the prison with surprising ferocity. The bakeneko had been unusually quiet ever since they came back to the human world, and cool-headed Venoct was displaying a new white-hot anger that he released in the ferocity of his battles, usually causing the Yo-Kai to which it was directed to unnecessary pain. Then again, those two weren't the only ones in an odd mood.

Kyubi didn't flaunt or gloat nearly as often as before (they were forced back-), his battles ending quickly and quietly before returning to guide the inhabitants of his previous territory safely to their new assigned homes. Komasan had gone back to visit his mom on the countryside with Komajiro, but before leaving he had looked somewhat despondent, looking at the untouched ice-cream spire in his cone mournfully as Komajiro patted his back sympathetically ("I'm sure you'll see him again," the orange pup consoled even as he eyed the slowly melting treat worriedly). Hidabat had been unusually present in gathering information, digging out report after report on missing Yo-Kai that may have gone to McKrakken's side, therefore giving those contributing in the battles an idea on where to look while also managing her business at the same time, not a small feat. But she looked lost every time someone forced her to take a break, fluttering from one way to the other in search for the familiar nook of darkness that she no longer had (it might have not been a mansion, but the closet was cosy and comfortable and the kindness of it's owner made it feel like a home-). Even Whisper himself had been somewhat quiet, instead of trying to bumble his way into convincing anyone that he didn't need his Yo-Kai Pad to provide him information ("It's just for reference!" "Whatever you say, Whisper") as usual.

For those Yo-Kai that didn't know them very well, there didn't seem to be much difference. Kyubi still occasionally preened, Venoct was a fierce a battler as ever, Hidabat was still quiet and reclusive, nothing in the world would make Jibanyan ever give up chocobars. But Whisper found himself eyeing the despondent cat out of the corner of his eye, and could see Venoct doing the same as he stood off to the side, eyes seemingly on the flying carpet drifting away with their captives, but actually observing the bakeneko quietly out from the corner of his eye.

It was an unspoken understanding between the Yo-Kai who had been there to see McKrakken fall. They all knew why they were acting weird, they knew all the others knew why they were acting weird, and they all decided to not acknowledge it. For most it was a matter of pride, for others it was the belief that it was all in their head.

After all, what Yo-Kai worth their salt would admit that a human child affected their behaviour so obviously?

The ex-butler shook his head and put his Yo-Kai Pad away as the flying carpet became nothing but a smudged fading dot in the horizon. Venoct started floating towards them, and Whisper nudged the feline not so gently to get the message across. Jibanyan stood up, ready to move even if the cat's eyes still seemed somewhat blank as they regrouped with the ninja and started walking. They were done with battling for the day. It was time to go share their progress with Kyubi back in town.

The trio quietly wound their way back down the long walkway from the Third Gate in the direction of the Entry Hall, having just came up from Hooligan Road (they really need a better system to arrive there rather than jumping off a cliff) which unfortunately meant the journey back was going to take some time, specially with how busy everything was. The hustle and bustle of other Yo-Kai hurrying past gave them an excuse to not talk, dodging the harried bodies (or heads, as Helmsman proved when he floated past, Armsman once again chasing after. There's a reason why nobody bothered even trying to understand Yo-Kai biology) of others who were out with the same objective of searching and containing the White Yo-kai still roaming about. Nate had befriended a surprisingly large number of Yo-Kai in the brief time he had possessed a Yo-Kai Watch (how long ago was it since it had been forcibly returned? They measured the pass of time in their dimension in relation to the Human World, but since the portal closed it was more difficult to keep track of, seemingly stretching too long and going by too fast all at once-) but few stuck around for long after being summoned, as they had their own lives to attend to. However, Whisper was willing to bet that most if not all of them were helping with the White Extraction, as Babblong had jokingly dubbed their efforts to contain and rehabilitate those influenced by McKrakken's propaganda. The name had surprisingly (normally everyone just tuned the chatterbox out without listening to a single word) stuck.

They continued to move through the shifting crowd, the silence between them somewhat awkward as Jibanyan continued to move almost robotically ahead, eyes not quite focusing in what was in front of him. The ghost winced internally in sympathy. The bakeneko was a relatively new Yo-Kai, not having haunted the near-miss intersection for long before Nate found him, asides from being the first Yo-Kai Nate ever befriended. Hapierre and Dismarelda had been too caught up relishing the fact that they were no longer fighting with each other, so they had forgotten to give Nate their medals in the beginning. They passed by Nate's house a couple of days after meeting Jibanyan to drop them off with an apology for not remembering to thank him sooner.

But the point stands that Jibanyan was probably the closest Yo-Kai friend that Nate had, despite their continuous arguments, and was really affected by the abrupt separation from a friend whom he normally spent a great part of, if not all the day with. It could also be because now the cat wouldn't be able to search for Amy, his previous human owner, but as much as Jibanyan loved the girl Whisper honestly doubted that was what had the yo-kai acting so distant.

The crowd slowly gradually thinned as they passed the First Gate, Gargaros giving him and Jibanyan the evil eye even as he nodded at Venoct in respect, for the Ninja Yo-kai had become known for his battle prowess. Whisper floated ahead hurriedly. Facing the oni who had chased them through Springdale's streets in that twisted version of a daydream was something he could have honestly done without, which was one of the reasons why finally sighting the Entry Hall was a relief.

Of course, that's when everything went to hell on a happy little hand basket.