A/N: This is the first part of the Demon!AU inspired by the song 'Human' by Gabrielle Aplin. Please listen to it, it is truly amazing.

Akashi always knew there was something different about him. Different from the other kids, different from the adults, different from… humans. It was his fifth birthday when his mother finally explained it all to him. He was a demon. The innocent mind of a child didn't fully register the weight of what was happening, until the first stones started flying towards his face, hitting his little body mercilessly. The only thing that kept him safe was his mother's love. Even though she was a human, even though she was shunned and cursed the same as him, she always had nothing but warm words and brilliant smiles for him.

The people from the village never accepted him, he was bullied and beaten wherever he went, be it adult or a child, he stood no chance against them. From the day he was born, he was smaller than most children, his body didn't grow as fast. He was a half-breed, a disgusting being that deserved all the pain and suffering it got. He was always the one blamed for everything bad that happened to the village, the blizzard, the drought, the fire, the broken window, the death of a horse.

There were times when he wanted to forget that, when he wanted to be normal. But he couldn't. All it took was one glare, one sneer in his direction to remind him of who he was. He was hated for something he had no influence over, and soon, he gave up on trying to prove his innocence. He stopped fighting, resigning himself to his fate. It was inevitable. He was a demon, that was his life.

During his childhood days, he used to dream of the demon realm, of his father, of the place where all demons lived, of the place where he could finally belong. Slowly, he learned to tune out the shouts of "Abomination!" and "Monster!", as he walked down the streets. His life started to shine a bit brighter, his mother's smiles and thoughts of the demon kingdom lighting his days.

But then his mother died, leaving him alone in the world that held nothing but hatred and disgust towards him. And Akashi cried, long hours he spent crying over his mother's cold corpse, holding her hand, begging her to come back. He cried, digging in the cold and wet ground, rain consoling him and muffling his strangled sobs. He cried, picking his mother's dead body and laying it gently in the grave, the tears flowing down his cheeks. He cried as he filled the hole back, and then, as he stumbled to the ground, desperate scream tearing from his throat, mixing with the rain and tears.

He didn't know how long he was laying there, soaking wet, looking up towards the darkening sky. He was 14 and his mother was gone. He was alone. There was nothing holding him in this world. He could just… kill himself?

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' a sudden voice to his right made him jump from surprise. People never talked to him like that. Mostly, they thought he wasn't good enough to be spoken to.

Eyes wide in bewilderment, he turned to the man standing near the grave. He was clothed in the finest gown Akashi has ever seen in his whole life. If he sold it, it could feed the whole village for months! Unknowingly, his mouth parted in awe. What could a person wearing something like this want with him? Maybe he was travelling somewhere?

'C-can I help you?' he asked, his voice rough and hoarse from all the crying.

'No,' the man shook his head. He was looking at him with curiosity and something more, something Akashi couldn't quite place. A lazy smirk appeared on the stranger's face, as he offered him a hand. 'But I can help you.'

And that was how Akashi's whole life changed. His dreams finally came true. He would finally find a place where he belonged. He was told a story of his parents meeting, how his father was the High Overlord of the demon realm, how he wasn't just some low demon, he was the Prince. In shock, Akashi left the village without looking back even once. He didn't regret that, there was nothing but pain and suffering for him in this place.

As the time passed, Akashi learned to live in his father's palace. He got used to human slaves abiding his ever wish, he saw the superiority that lied in the demon blood. Soon, he forgot the lessons his mother tried to teach him. Instead, his young mind was filled with the demon way of living. He was taught to believe that humans are only trash and vermin, that they should be conquered and ruled by the better race, demons. He learned to always keep his emotions hidden, to never show weakness, to forget the concepts of love and affection. Feelings and emotions were for humans, not for a demon Prince, he couldn't behave in such an undignified manner.

But even though he learned to be a proper demon, he was never fully accepted. Not by his father, not by the aristocracy, not by the common demons. He wanted to laugh at his naiveté. He was a half-breed, half-demon, but also a half-human. The foul human blood flowing in his veins made the familiar sneers surface on the demons' faces, looks of pure disgust following him wherever he went, just as they did in the human world. Yet this time was also different.

After the horrible experiences of his childhood, Akashi learned to cope with that well. However, he didn't ignore them this time, he was a Prince after all. With a malicious smirk, he broke bones, ripped apart limbs, and burned the skin off of those who dared to show him disrespect. His ministrations often brought an amused gleam to his father's eyes, making Akashi proud of himself.

In spite of everything, he grew into a strong, dependable man, hiding his true face from everyone, be it a demon, or a human slave. Long ago, he abandoned his innocence and vulnerability. Now, he was the Prince of the demon realm, the successor to the throne, and he was strong. The lessons of love and forgiveness his mother tried to teach him were long lost and forgotten, replaced by demon poison.

When he was sent to the human realm to conquer one of the kingdoms, Akashi was far from happy. He didn't want to go back, not at all. As much as his hatred for humans grew with years, he didn't feel any consolation in the thought of killing them. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill them. If he could, he'd have them all gone long ago. He just didn't feel like leaving the demon realm. Ever. But he bowed to his father's wishes without any argument, his emotions hidden deep within his heart. If this was what his King wanted, then so be it.

And he was bored. Killing humans was never his idea of fun, he enjoyed fighting with demons more. At least they had some power and could fight back. Yawning in boredom, his red eyes scanned the battlefield. Human bodies covered the ground, a demon once every few yards. It was going well, better than he expected in fact. It took less than a month to decimate General Kagami's forces, and now they were fighting with the last remnants of the once powerful kingdom.

Suddenly a blue flash tore through the demon lines, killing everything in its path. Akashi followed it with his eyes, more interested in its nature than in his falling soldiers. An amused chuckle slipped past his lips, as the flash finally stopped before General Kagami. It was a human! Akashi focused his attention on the captivating figure deep in the battlefield. He was small, his body lithe and fragile. How could he kill so many demons with such a weak body? Intrigued, Akashi unsheathed his sword, slowly making his way towards the man, cutting down anyone who got near.

'Move,' he barked at the demon blocking his way.

Now he was close enough to see blue eyes, that held determination and desperation, but no fear, no hatred. He spared one glance at Kagami, but the man was already a broken shell of the General he once was. He won this battle, he won the war. His attention was once again drawn to the kneeling assassin, whose knife was raised and ready to parry any attack coming their way.

'You human,' Akashi pointed his sword at the assassin. 'You amuse me, what is your name?'

'It is only polite to introduce yourself before asking for someone else's name,' a quiet, emotion-free voice answered, blue eyes still daringly staring straight at him.

'You wrench, how dare you-'

'Enough, Kotarou,' Akashi raised his hand, stopping the other instantly. 'I am the demon Prince, Akashi.'

The human's eyes widened briefly, before he slowly inclined his head, though his gaze never wavered from Akashi's face. 'I was born into Kuroko clan and serve as an assassin under General Kagami.'

'Not anymore,' Akashi said, lifting his sword and before Kuroko could react, it pierced through Kagami's chest. 'Tell General Midorima we can proceed to the city.'

'Yes, Your Highness.'

Turning around to walk away, it was in the last second that he caught the knife in his hand before it could cut his neck. Without a care about the blood flowing out of his hand, Akashi looked deep into assassin's eyes. He was an interesting human. If he weren't, he would have been dead long ago. There was pain and guilt in those blue eyes, loss and sadness, but most of all anger, and Akashi found himself mesmerised by the sheer strength of it.

Making a split-second decision, he placed his other hand on Kuroko's forehead and whispered, 'Sen'. The human's eyes glazed over, his unconscious body falling to the ground.

'Take him with us,' Akashi ordered. 'He'll make a good slave.'

Next chapter will appear next week, but if you want to read it earlier, the whole story is available on my tumblr (the link is in my profile). Now, reviews~?