This the second and last ending to the story. Of a show that I do not own.

Alternate Ending Two

Miroku suddenly felt a huge blow to the stomach and toppled over in pain.

"Don't…you…dare…touch her…" Sesshomaru groaned.

Inuyasha: "Well we know that HE survived."

Sesshomaru raised himself off the ground and checked on Soun Yee. "Soun, wake up. It's over now." He shook her slightly hoping she would wake, but alas there was no response. "Soun Yee?" Carefully he touched the side of her face, and then pulled away at how cold her skin was. Sesshomaru's eyes widened, "No….Soun Yee no….this can't be…"

Miroku set a hand carefully on her neck to feel for a pulse. He shook his head to everyone as soon as he felt the coldness of her skin, "I'm afraid she didn't survive the fire Sesshomaru."

"No, Soun Yee." Kagome said as she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha, burying her head in his kimono.

Right then a shout came from the forest. Both Shippo and Rin had followed their trail to the castile and hid till the fight was over.

"Hey Kagome! Inuyasha!" the little fox demon exclaimed as he jumped on Inuyasha's shoulder and nuzzled against Kagome's cheek. Since no one reacted to him he realized that something bad had happened. The Kitsune spotted Soun Yee lying in Sesshomaru's arm. "This…can't be good."

Rin was smiling from ear to ear when she reached the group, but her joys were short lived when she saw her lord and lady on the ground; one awake while the other remained motionless. "My lord!" She called catching his attention as she ran to him. "What happened?"

Unexpectedly Sesshomaru laid the woman down and held Rin close to him and whispered, "I'm sorry Rin."

Immediately the girl pulled away and rushed toward Soun Yee's body, "Lady Soun? Come on you have to wake up. Lady Soun? Ma ma sama?"

Sesshomaru placed his hand on her shoulder as she started to cry, "The demon Naraku had us in a fiery predicament. She was… unable to endure it before it past."

"Can't you use the Tenseiga to bring her back?" Rin asked looking up at him from Soun Yee's body.

Sesshomaru mentally slapped himself for forgetting his healing sword.

Kagome: "Yes the Tenseiga."

Miroku: "Although only you survived the attack you could use the Tensiega to revive your wife. That way you've both survived the on slot even thou she really died. (Pause) Thou, that sounds slightly disturbing."

The dog demon rose to his feet and unsheathed his sword.

Rin stepped back out of the way.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock, "They're…not here."

"What's not there?" Kagome asked trying hard not to cry.

He lowered the Tenseiga as well as his head in grief, "Normally, before I use the Tenseiga on a corpse, I see the messengers of death crawling all over the body. It is them that I destroy and the person is revived. But now… I can't even pick up a trace that they were ever here."

"Just try my lord," Rin sobbed wrapping her arms around his right pant leg, "Please try."

Seeing his heart's daughter cry made his soul weep even more. He gripped the hilt of the sword of healing tightly and focused all the energy he could muster. Sending all his strength in this one swing he slashed the sword just above Soun Yee. A flash of light detached from the blade and onto her body. The burns began to heal, the scars faded, and the heat frizz in her hair was restored back to normal.

When the healing light faded the monk knelt down to check her pulse. Miroku waited, then pulled his hand away closing his eyes. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru. Her body may have been healed, but her spirit didn't return."

Sango stroked Kirara's fur to calm her down, "But how could she have died? Sesshomaru was using himself a shield throughout the time they were attacked by the hell flames."

Miroku: "Remember what Naraku said about the flames? 'From flesh to soul to fire will burn'. While he was protecting her body the fire must have gotten to her soul, incinerating it till the flames was extinguished."

Sesshomaru fell to his knees and (tried to) scooped her up in his arm. Rin came around the other side and started crying into their robes.

Everyone stepped away and watched helplessly at the widower and child mourn for the woman. Tears soon swelled up in their eyes. They only knew her for a short time, but they had grown fond of her.

In the mists of all their grief a new presence approached them. Young Rin raised her head from Sesshomaru's cloaks to rub her nose when she saw the new arrival, "Who (sniff)….who's that (sniff)….my lord?"

Everyone took that as a warning and armed themselves. There, only a few yards away, was a priestess, slowly waking toward them in a ghost-like stature.

Sesshomaru still had his head buried in Soun Yee crying.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "Kikyo?"

Looking through empty eyes Kikyo walked past Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others and stood just above the mourning dog demon.

Sensing a shadow above him Sesshomaru looked up to see the reborned woman.

"So you are Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru."

He nodded trying to hide his tear struck eyes.

Kikyo glanced down at the young woman laying dead in his arms, "This must be Soun Yee; the woman who won the heart, of a heartless demon lord." She held her hands out as a Soul Collector placed a faint, wounded soul in her grasp.

Sesshomaru watched terrified realizing that that was his beloved's very soul layingin front of him.

The priestess gazed at the fading orb in her hands. It glowed brighter when near the white haired man, "Tell me, do you love this woman?"

Sesshomaru: "Yes."

Kikyo: "Then, what would you do to bring her back? What would you give up so she could live again the way she was?"

Sesshomaru: "I'll die for her!"

Kikyo smiled as she parted her hands. The transparent spirit slowly floated and fell down to the body entering the chest cavity. Sesshomaru watched in bewilderment.

Once the soul disappeared Soun Yee's body rose as she gasped heavily. Then she fell further back into his arm.

He turned back to the priestess demanding an explanation.

Kikyo: "Her soul maybe intact but the strength to hold on the body is weak. If you truly love her, you know what to do."

With that she walked away back into the forest without another word.

Everyone starred in disbelief.

Sango: "Did Kikyo just helped us?"

Miroku: "Maybe; but she also might not be able to absorb souls who have given their hearts to another."

Kagome: "What do you suppose she meant by 'If you truly love her you know what to do'?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Inuyasha said catching the others attention. "Since Soun Yee's spirit strength is gone he will have to replenish it."

The teenage girl smiled, "That's not bad."

Inuyasha: "It is."

Miroku: "It's not like a blood transfusion. In order to replenish the energy Sesshomaru will have to give a piece of his own soul; a procedure that could kill both of them."

Sesshomaru drew his face closer to Soun Yee's, starring deep into her sleeping face. Closing his eyes he gently touched Soun Yee's lips with his own. Tears flowed down the Lord of the Eastern Land's face feeling the cold skin of his mate, and remembering back to when they were warm and sweet.

He soon felt a trance begin to overtake him when a strange sensation flowed from his own heart into Soun Yee's body. Sesshomaru felt his strength diminish and his heartbeat slowed down to nearly nothing, but he refused to let go. In his mind the images of his lost love appeared, along with her kind delecate voice ringing in his ears.

Soun Yee in memory: "Hah! The last thing I ever want to be is a wife or a servent to any man. Human OR demon." "I'll be fine it's YOU I'm worried about." "Thank you, for saveing me." "'Lord of the Eastern Land'. Sounds like a bad bard's tale." "You know, you really are a dog." "Sesshomaru!" "And what does it take for a maiden to win your heart?" "I'd rather throw myself into the deepest pits of hell than leave you here in its flames!" " Sessh, I love you."

Again tears swelled up and poured from Sesshomaru's eyes as he held her bodycloser, "What have I done? I don't deserve you. I never did. IfI haven't fallen for you, you'd still be alive and safe."

Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru (by the hair) when he started to slump over from weakness. "Stop it now!" He didn't pull hard, just enough to break the kiss.

Sesshomaru turned to his brother with anger in his eyes, "What did you do that for?!"

"There's no sense in giving up your life just so she can spend the rest of hers mourning your death! No one wants to live like that no matter what the circumstances."

But the elder brother just pushed him out of the way, "How would you know?! You've never truly given your heart, to someone, for the first time, to really love someone with all your soul and cherish them every waking moment of your life. She is a treasure nether Kikyo OR your human girl can ever be!" he shouted to all of them. His breathing became more hesitant and more willing to break into tears again.The white haired demon then turned back to Soun Yee and hung his head low near her hair sniffing in her fadding scent. "Soun Yee, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for loosing your trust with that hound. Please forgive me. I love you."

After a long moment Sesshomaru felt something cool and soft touch against his hot cheek and brush away the tears flowing down his face. His eyes snapped open with shock.

Slowly and reluctantly Soun Yee opened her eyes weakly to see Sesshomaru's tired sad face, "Sessh…don't.... cry."

"Soun Yee!"
They wrapped their arm(s) around each other tightly, happy that they're both alive and together.

Sesshomaru: "I thought I lost you."

Soun Yee: "I would never leave you."

Rin sneaked away and hid behind Kagome's leg, "We better leave them alone for a minuet."

----------------------------------------------

Inuyasha gazed out at the horizon from the cliffside not far from the meeting hut. He was thinking about everything that had happened the other night and what he learned about his brother.

"(Sigh) And I thought this was going to be a quiet meeting."

He then turned his head to see Sesshomaru approaching from the brush, "What are you doing here? Haven't you left yet?"

"We will. After the others rest a while."

Inuyasha: "Can't say I'd blame them. This had been one of the busiest nights yet."

Sesshomaru stepped closer till they were five feet apart, "For what you've done today…I… I thank you." he practically choked out while turning his head to the side.

Inuyasha was shocked at first but retained his composer, "Save your flattery, I didn't do it for you. I did it for Soun Yee."

Sesshomaru looked back at his brother, surprised by his answer.

Inuyasha: "She really loves you, and you seem to love her. I don't want you're case to be the same as Kikyo's and mine. (turning back to Sesshomaru) I think I truly understand you now. I always thought you were incapable of love."

The elder demon brother turned away back to the hut, "I didn't know I was either. (Pause) My vision of humans might never changed, but I know that there is still at least one human I can't love."

"Correction, two. Your wife and your daughter."

"That's right." Sesshomaru agreed with a laugh.

Inuyasha placed a hand on his brother'sshoulder, "Just one question before you go."

Sesshomaru glanced back, "Go on."

"How come in all the time we've known you we haven't seen her before?"

(Note: he doesn't know about the incarnations original life.)

The full demon turned back completely to the hanyou and smiled, "Are you sure you want to know? It's a long story."

Inuyasha: "We've got time."

END

And that's it! That's all! It's over. Well...maybe not. I do happen to have a special songfic I can add to finish off this story. Just ask for it and I'll load it up!