a/n: Hey yall! Sorry for keepin yall waiting for so long on a cliffy but I've had a LOT of stuff going on this month and it's been crazy. AGAIN. Oh and I would have had it up a few days ago but fanfic was totally freakin out and wouldn't let me save the document. But anyways, as promised I'm going to take the time to give props to ToFu since that's my only reviewer that found any quotes from the song Imperfection by Skillet. Congrats to ToFu and shame on everyone else for not looking! Kidding! (Or am I?!)

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

'Inner Conversation'

DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN INU......BUT I DO OWN THE NEW CHARACTER WHO YOU SHALL SEE IN THE CHAPPY THAT I DO NOT IMMEDIATELY KILL OFF!!! ^-^! (evil grin)

Chapter 5- The Transformation

Once again Sango found herself floating in an endless sea of black. Her mind had awoken a few moments ago but she was unsure how long it would take for her body to regain consciousness so she could talk to Sesshomaru about what that demon had said about his master coming for her and some mysterious power she supposedly possessed. Deciding that her time would be best spent trying to decipher the meaning behind the demon's cryptic statement she replayed the battle in her mind.

Suddenly she could feel her attacks slowing as the demon's sword pulsed black and she felt as if all the energy in every cell of her body was being stripped from her against her will. Trying to stop this unknown attack she stepped dangerously close to the demon and slammed the bottom hilt of her sword violently up into his chin before dancing back out of his range. She was surprised to see that her blow seemed to have had no effect other than angering the demon.

The sword pulsed black again and this time it was worse. It felt as if a part of her very soul was being torn out of her body and she couldn't move to stop it. Another pulse and this time she actually felt as part of her spirit was pulled out of her body slightly before it snapped back into her. Her knees hitting the ground, she fell forward onto her hands and gasped for breath that would not seem to come to her.

'Oh Gods I can't take another one of those pulses. I'm going to die and I don't even know how it's happening.'

Just before she knew another pulse would be she heard a guttural snarl and a blur of white and silver whizzed past her blurring peripheral vision, slamming into the demon and knocking the sword out of his hand. She looked up to see Sesshomaru standing at full height, bloody gashes across his back and arms where he'd slammed through a table and into a wall, with his hand around the demon's throat glowing a sickly poison green. She heard him snarl and watched as he tightened his clawed grip around the demon's throat but did not release his poison.

"What did you do to her!?"

The snarled exclamation shocked her; she had never heard Sesshomaru so visibly angry about her battle injuries. Sure he had been angry and killed for her before but this was a kind of primal, instinctual anger that she had only ever seen when Inuyasha was protecting Kagome.

"Hahahaha! There is nothing you can do oh mighty powerful Lord of the West. Even if you kill me my master will have her and the power that she possesses!"

She shivered at the rage in Sesshomaru's voice but focused intently on the demon's final words. Repeating them in her head over and over, she was still unable to find anything that would give her any kind of useful information. She was about to start reanalyzing the rest of the battle when her sense of sound suddenly came back to her. She could hear the fire crackling off to her right but the sound of rain hitting the roof had finally ceased. She could not hear any talking but that did not mean anything since Sesshomaru and Kirara were the only ones in her village and it was unlikely for Sesshomaru to talk to the tiny neko for long periods of time especially when they were likely both worried about her condition.

It wasn't long until feeling started to return to her body and the crackle of the fire was now accompanied by the warmth of the flames. She could feel the weight of the light blanket Sesshomaru must have put over her when he'd laid her back on the futon it seemed she'd only just gotten up from less than twelve hours ago. She knew of course that it must have been longer than that with the unknown time she'd been unconscious but she was really starting to get tired of being unconscious every time she turned around.

She heard a small mew and felt the scratchy warmth of a small wet tongue on her face and knew that Kirara must have sensed her consciousness returning. However, with her returning consciousness came the strange pain that seemed to stab through each cell of her body with a tingling pain that left her sore and uncomfortable in her own skin. Once again her mind was reminded of the fact that her soul had nearly been completely removed from her body and it was not something she relished to think about. Pushing the shiver that threatened to run up her spine back into the far recesses of her mind, she allowed a small smile to spread across her face at her tiny friend's lick.

"Well hello to you too Kirara"

Her voice stuck slightly in her throat, an indicator that she'd been unconscious for a while without water, but the happiness in her voice at seeing her small friend's big ruby eyes in front of her when she woke up couldn't be mistaken. She lifted her aching arm up and lightly petted her tiny head with two fingers. A loud purr started as she pushed up with the opposite arm while continuing to run her fingers across her companion's silky fur. Looking around she could see that she was no longer in the weapon's hut and that Sesshomaru was not in sight. Closing her eyes she concentrated on pinpointing his demonic aura but due to the aching in her body she couldn't seem to focus enough to tell much other than he was close by. Furrowing her brows at her inability to complete a simple task that she'd been doing since the age of seven she clenched her eyes harder and put all of her effort into locating his youki.

The shock hit her before the pain did but the feeling of electricity shooting from somewhere deep within her and striking every neuron in her body was not pleasant in itself. For a moment her senses seemed ten times sharper and with each heartbeat the strange aura that was shooting through her body shot out from her feet to form and invisible web along the ground through which she could see everything within it including Sesshomaru who was standing in a guard tower on the outer wall of the village. As soon as she caught sight of Sesshomaru's regal figure standing in the guard tower watching the area, in case another one of the mysterious demons attacked, the strange power snapped back to wherever hidden compartment within her that it had come from and the tingling pain suddenly became a burning flame. Almost before the scream ripped from her throat Sesshomaru appeared at her side and she was vaguely aware of his youki as she writhed and arched her back, all the while screaming in pain with her eyes clenched shut.

"Sango!"

"Mew!"

She could barely hear her companion's cries over the roaring in her ears but for some reason her mind was not slipping away towards unconsciousness. Instead, she was acutely aware of the pain in her body that seemed to touch every nerve and pain receptor. Thus, she was immediately aware when Sesshomaru picked her up from her writhing position on the floor because, no matter how gently he lifted her, he was adding pressure to her already screaming pain receptors. The scream that forced its way from her throat then was sure to have hurt Sesshomaru's sensitive ears but the pain soon overtook her rational mind and she barely heard Sesshomaru's yelled statement before the ringing became too loud.

"Sango I'm taking you to Totosai! He's the closest demon to us that could do you any good, just hang on until then!"

The air rushing past her cooled her skin and almost seemed to appease the burning on her skin but the fire within her remained scalding and soon she had screamed her voice so raw that sound no longer escaped her throat. Her fingernails were digging bloody rivulets down each arm and due to her hypersensitive skin she could feel the growl rubble through Sesshomaru's chest.

It seemed to her that only moments after he scooped her into his arms that he was lying her down on the cold stone floor of a cave, Totosai's she assumed, but her body was still writing and clawing. Even then she was still aware of the three demonic auras in the cave with her, two were her traveling companions and the third was the old demonic sword smith who had forged Tetsaiga and Tenseiga for InuTaisho all those years ago. The cold hands of the old blacksmith felt like a long drink of icy water after crossing a desert and her body calmed as his palm settled lightly on her forehead.

She thought that she was finally going to be allowed the rest of unconsciousness, and despite what she'd said earlier she would happily welcome the endless void of darkness after what she'd been through within the last hour, but what she was slipping into was not something she was familiar with. This place was covered in ice and was an equally welcome relief from the burning that she'd undergone since she'd awoken but now that the pain was not paramount in her mind she began to wonder where she could possibly be.

'Well you're in your mind of course.'

The voice that echoed throughout the icy cavern was that of a beautiful woman who was slowly approaching her from the other side of an icy lake, only this woman was tiptoeing lightly across the freezing water as if it too were frozen solid. She was clothed in all black, which was a stark contrast to the white and icy blue around her but complemented her ice blue eyes and long white hair nicely.

'Who are you? What do you mean I'm in my mind? How is that even possible?'

Sango's own kimono was no longer the pink and white one she normally wore but instead a dark navy fighting kimono with intricate white snowflakes lining the bottom edge and up the fitted side to cross her bosom in a flurry of white and blue so intricate that the design was lost on the eyes of mere humans. Her new kimono had no sleeves and was very similar to some Chinese kimonos that she'd seen in markets but where her kimono split to allow free movement of the legs she had tight white leggings that went down and vanished into boots that were very similar to the ones she wore with her slayer's suit only the usual pink was now replaced with a dark navy blue and the black boots went up to nearly her knees.

'It is very simple. The demon that attacked you spoke of your true power, a power hidden so deeply within you that only the near removal of your soul could release it from its' cage. When you tried to find your demon lord's youki you unknowingly unlocked the power at full force and you were clearly not ready for that to happen yet but, oh well it's too late to change it now the process has already begun.'

She almost could not believe what she was hearing. The demon that had attacked her had been right about her hidden power but how could someone possibly know about something she herself was unaware of?

'Wait, what do you mean the process has already begun?'

Her mind came to a halt as it focused on the last sentence that the woman had told her. She wasn't sure what kind of process it was but with as much pain as she had endured before falling into this strange icy realm she was sure it could not be a very good thing.

'Well your transformation dear. Then again if you didn't even know you had this power I'm going to have to start at the beginning and explain from there aren't I?'

Sango merely stared and nodded. The only kind of transformation she could imagine was Inuyasha transforming into a human on the full moons or………Or Inuyasha transforming into a raging bloodthirsty demon if injured to greatly and his life was still being threatened. The mental image frightened her and she wasn't sure whether she truly wanted to know or not. She knew, however, that with this strange new power came responsibility and she did not want to be left in the dark on anything, no matter how frightening the prospect might be.

'There is no easy way to put this Sango but you come from a long line of powerful sorcerers. They were so powerful it was said that they could transform a human into a humanoid demon with all the abilities of a full demon by birth. The females in your lineage were the sorcerers while the men became skilled slayers in order to protect the women while they were incanting. However, in the time of your great-great-grandmother one of the most powerful demon lords of that time got word of what your ancestors could do and sought to annihilate the entire clan.'

Here she paused and sent Sango a look as if to say "Does this sound familiar?" Sango's eyes widened as she realized that what happened with Naraku was very similar to the story that the strange woman was weaving. Could there have possible been an ulterior motive behind Naraku's slaughter of the slayer village that no one had known about?

'Ah so you see that what I am telling you has happened in the not so distant past as well. It is true that the hanyou Naraku knew about your village's true power and that is the real reason he murdered your entire family. I can see by the look in your eyes that you are wondering why no one ever told you about this power and why you haven't noticed it before now. Am I right?'

By now her eyes were wide and blank. All the little pieces of the puzzle that had not made sense before were slowly falling into place. She merely nodded at the woman's question and waited, intently hanging on her every word. As the woman spoke the ice behind her seemed to depict all of the people and battles she spoke of and the images were too real for her to hold any doubt about the truth behind the story of her ancestors.

'I'm afraid that the demon lord that found out about your ancestors power was a very cruel and arrogant demon and sent over a thousand demon soldiers to the village to wipe them all out. When your great-great-grandmother, the most powerful sorcerer of the village, realized that the slayer's stood no chance against the army that was marching upon them she decided that it was her duty to protect the people of the village with her very life. So, with the consent of the other sorcerers of the village, she drew all of their spiritual and mystical power into her own body using a forbidden spell and stood alone outside the village gates.'

Sango was no longer looking at the white haired woman but at the sad scene before her. A scene of farewell as her own great-great-grandmother, a woman who could almost be mistaken for her twin except for the icy blue eyes and strange kimono, said her last goodbyes to the villagers and gave a tear stained kiss to her love before walking outside the village gates with the heavy wooden doors slamming shut behind her. Sango could see her give one last glance towards her family through the small opening before the gates closed completely. The teary smile on her face was forever imprinted into Sango's mind and it was only then that she realized that she too was crying.

'As she stood alone outside the gate she gathered all of her power and the power of the rest of the village women and focused intently on a spell that had never before been attempted. When the army approached the village, each demon running full speed with swords drawn and fangs bared she chanted the last two words of the spell and a brilliant shot of blue light shot heavenward, blinding everyone in the village. When it was gone the villagers opened the gates and her husband ran outside to try to find her but could find no trace of her or the thousand soldiers. Instead, on what was just moments before barren battleground there were thousands of beautiful white lilies. Each of the petals had a single yellow stripe down the center and each flower had five petals. Her husband as well as the rest of the villagers knew she was gone but no one knew what became of the power, until now.'

Her mind was now in a sense of total and complete shock. The flowers that represented the thousand demon warriors, those were the very same flowers that Kohaku had given her long ago because he had known they were her favorite. Was it just coincidence that they were special to her or was it something preordained long ago when her great-great-grandmother had chanted the forbidden spell to save the village?

'Wait. If all this is true and the power vanished with my ancestor then who are you and why is this power suddenly showing up now?'

The woman smiled warmly and Sango relaxed slightly at seeing such a calm reaction to her almost accusatory question. She had just been bombarded with a huge amount of information on her life that she had never even dreamed could have happened much less have so much an impact on her own life.

'Well as for who I am that's simple, I am your power. Well, the embodiment of your power at least until you learn how to master it yourself. As to why the power is showing up now I am unsure of but I do know that your transformation is already nearly complete and thus our conversation must draw to a close.'

'What transformation? What am I transforming into? Am I still even human?'

The fear in her voice was evident and the woman smiled again but this time it seemed almost sad.

'I am sorry to say that your body the way it was could not handle the immense power that has now been awoken within it. The women of your village were raised from birth to adapt their bodies to housing the power but you were not granted that luxury. Your power is completing the transformation your ancestors performed on young girls whose power was too great for their human bodies without your bidding in order to keep you alive. Since you were not able to choose the type of demon your body would transform into your power utilized your memories to discover what type of demon you were most close to and thus which kind you would adapt to becoming faster.'

'You mean your going to turn me into a cat demon!?'

'Hahaha. Oh no dear, I'm afraid that little Kirara's form just would not suit you or your power. The only other demons that you are close to are the Inu brothers and their kind are proud, strong demons that fit our purposes nicely.'

'So your saying you turned me into a dog demon?'

For some reason the idea did not horrify her as much as she thought it would but it still disturbed her on some level. She was no longer human which meant she could no longer call herself a demon slayer, something that had been such a huge part of her life for such a long time. Without her notice, a lone tear made its way down her face and dripped onto the frozen floor.

'Do not cry Sango you are still a slayer. Did you forget that your village used to be full of women that had to become demons in order to control their power? They were fully accepted by the men in the village as well as everyone they did trade with. Oh but I must go now, your transformation is complete and your body shall be waking soon. Try not to take things too harshly and remember that your friends will be there for you no matter what.'

'Wait! You never told me your name.'

The entire icy area before her was beginning to blur and fade away before her eyes including the beautiful woman that had told her so much about her past. She had to strain her ears to hear it but the voice that answered her back was happy and laughing even as it faded away.

'My name is Sonya.'

'Sonya? Sonya wait! Sonya!'

"Sango! Sango wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open and a blur of silver and gold flooded her vision for a moment before she blinked twice and the image of Sesshomaru's face cleared to a point she had never before seen. It was almost as if she was seeing him with new eyes…..It was then that all the information came flooding back to her and she realized that she was indeed seeing him with new eyes; new demonic eyes.

"Sango something has happened to you and it is something that you may not like."

Sesshomaru's voice sounded almost apprehensive and she knew that he was worried how she would react when she found out.

'Oh but I've already found out. The question is what am I going to do now?'

a/n: Well there you have it; Sango's mysterious power! I know that's not a super detailed explanation about what the power itself is but yall will just have to keep reading to find out won't you?! LOL. Well I'm not too sure wether this is a cliffy of not.....eh? I'm gonna go with kinda since this chappy wasn't super actiony but yet was packed with valuable info. Once again, CONGRATS to ToFu!!!

Plz READ AND REVIEW!!!