Author's Note: Written for the Angst, Anguish and Torment table at the LJ comm inuyasha_sango. The prompt used is 'not meant to be'.
Inuyasha waited until he was safely out of sight, deep in the woods, before dropping the ferocious snarl from his face.
He had not meant to be that rude – not to her – but it had slipped out, the same way last night had turned into a cold war. The worst thing was Sango was right: he was tired, but he was also too proud to admit it.
Deciding to put it all out of his mind until later, he turned his attention back to dinner. If Kagome had her way, she would be making them eat vegetables and fish day in and day out; he was fine with it if there was nothing else. But meat was for warriors; it put muscle on bone and real force behind strikes.
A nasty scent caught his nose. Inuyasha grunted; some oni were hunting for dinner as well. He moved upwind. The hanyou had no desire to fight them, unless they were after the same prey.
A muffled curse, a flurry of breaking branches and crackling of foliage captured his attention again. Inuyasha was already in motion by the time the scent of Sango, mixed with blood reached his nose.
Damn that wench!
She was alone, surrounded by the oni from earlier. A gash on her arm oozed blood fitfully; the other carried Hiraikotsu. Out of the band, three already lay dead on the forest floor.
"Sango!" In a flash of light, Tetsusaiga was drawn and he was standing with his back to hers.
"Inuyasha."
"What the hell are you doing out here, stupid wench?" One blast of his sword killed half the oni and sent the other half running.
Sango set down Hiraikotsu hard, driving one end into the ground. "Looking for you."
"What for?" He stared with growing alarm at the sluggishly bleeding gash. "You're wounded." Before she could stop him, he had torn a strip of white cloth from his underkimono and wound it roughly around her arm.
Sango tugged it out of his hands, a pink tint decorating her cheeks. "I can do that myself, thanks." Using her teeth and her free hand, the slayer tied it into a neat knot.
Inuyasha grunted and heaved Hiraikotsu over his shoulder. "Let's go back."
"What about dinner?"
"I'm pretty sure Kagome has more of her vegetable stews waiting."
Sango smiled – though it was not as wide as it usually was. "Delicious as Kagome-chan's cooking is... I wouldn't mind a bit of rabbit now and then."
One ear twitched. He should have known; she would understand him perfectly. As they walked back in companionable silence, one unanswered question surfaced in Inuyasha's mind.
"Hey Sango. You said you were looking for me?"
She blushed again. "Yes. I was going to ask you why you were so rude earlier." One hand came up to tuck a curl of hair behind her ear. "But it's fine now."
He shook his head. "Women."
But Inuyasha was smiling as he walked back; Sango was still blushing.