𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 [JJK x Child OC]

06.

Kai's breath hitched at the overwhelming amount of people walking through the colorful streets of Tokyo. Instinctively, his fingers curled tighter around Megumi's larger hand. Not only was there a lot of people but to even get where they needed to go meant having to push through the crowd and Kai didn't think he would be able to do it. His small feet were rooted to the pavement, the fear growing stronger and slowly suffocating him.

Megumi immediately noticed his strange behavior and concernedly peered down at the black-haired boy. "Kai, are you-"

"Man, this place is filled with a lot of people! I've never been to the city before! Incredible!" Itadori exclaimed, his brown eyes sparkling with interest at the stylish civilians passing by the three boys standing in the middle of the street.

Kai didn't know a lot about Itadori but with the time that he's currently spent around him, he's learned that the older boy was way too enthusiastic for his liking. The pink-haired boy was energetic and constantly laughing at everything. Apart from Gojo, he didn't see a lot of people laugh or smile that much around him. He envied Itadori's ability to see the light in everything. Whereas for Kai, he wasn't able to be positive. A crowd of people wasn't something he was going to be able to overcome in a matter of a second.

Why had he thought he would be ready to face the rest of the world after being cooped up in months? Whilst the suffering he went through drained his soul, the rest of the world carried on as usual. Everyone went about their daily routine whilst Kai had been wallowing in self-pity and regret. 

Being so absorbed in his own world—he had forgotten what it felt like to really live and be alive again. If Gojo hadn't had taken him in that day, he didn't know where he would be right now. Kai didn't have any close relatives to rely on and depending on his neighbors would only burden them. There would be no place for him to fit in. 

Even if he didn't have the best home life, the existence of his parents' grounded him and gave him something to live for. He knew the hollowness in his heart wouldn't disappear straight away but if he was able to feel like a child again and bask in the warmth that Gojo and Megumi gave him then he would be okay.

"How about we go into a cafe for a breather?" Megumi suggested, aiming the suggestion more for Kai's benefit than his and Itadori's.

"Huh?" Itadori gaped, confusedly blinking at the other boy with raised eyebrows. "But we've hardly even started walking yet."

Megumi narrowed his eyes at Itadori, giving him a forced grimace. "Well, me and Kai are thirsty, okay?"

Itadori's brown eyes slowly widened in realization at the predicament they were in—his gaze flickering down to Kai for a brief second before pointing over to a quaint and aesthetically pleasing cafe positioned next to a trendy clothing shop.

"How about that cafe over there then?" Itadori asked, turning back to Megumi.

Megumi shrugged, squeezing Kai's small hand. "Sounds good," he lowered his voice for only Kai to hear, slightly bending down. "We're just going to walk into that place. Are you able to do that, Kai?"