You realized very quickly that Akaza would never be fit for a regular foster family. He was far too reserved, he was afraid of anything that moved, and at times he was even aggressive; you suppose that's only par for the course when your lifelong home before now was a brutal illegal fight ring, but still. With this kind of behavior, no family would ever want to take him in; it might be too dangerous to let them. In three months since Akaza came to the rescue facility, he still had yet to make any progress. It didn't bode well for him, since you also knew that demons who couldn't adjust or weren't apt to go into good homes ended with a blade to the neck. A quick and painless death, but a death nonetheless.

For whatever reason, you didn't want that for Akaza. You didn't want that for any of the demons who came out of that fight ring, except a lot of the others had come a lot farther than Akaza in terms of rehabilitation. Of course. He was a champion in the fight ring, so you don't expect him to break so easily out of his old habits. The facility wouldn't be so forgiving, though. So, you adopted him yourself.

Now, Akaza is sitting in the back seat of your car as you drive him to your house. He's silent, so much so he could be asleep; but, you know he's not. As far as you've seen, he doesn't sleep around other people, especially not a stranger like you. You look up into your rearview mirror, and sure enough, you find intense eyes of gold (and blue) watching you through the reflection.