Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.
It was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny...
Kagome couldn't believe she had allowed them to talk her into it. A day at the beach was one thing, but the new suit that they had convinced her to but was quite another. It left her feeling nearly naked and extremely self-conscious. It had looked cute on the rack. It had looked great on the mannequin. Her friends had told her that it had looked damn hot on her, but now, alone in the locker with the unfriendly mirror reflecting all her exposed flesh, she wasn't so sure.
Grapping the blanket she had brought for them to sit on and wrapping it around herself, Kagome forced herself out of the changing room. She still felt self-conscious and nearly naked, but the cloudless sky, the summer sun and the make-shift parka she had been able to make from the beach blanket were helping. She tried not to think about the odd looks she was getting from passing strangers or the growing laughter coming from her so-called friends. She had come to the beach to enjoy the sun and play with her friends in the water, and she wouldn't get to do either if she kept hiding in the cabana.
It didn't take her long to figure out the down side to her ingenious plan. The sun was hot and the cooling breeze from the water couldn't reach her through the thick fabric wrapped around her. She was beginning to feel a little ridiculous sitting alone in a blanket on the beach so, after a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, Kagome through off her stifling wrap and ran for it. She had come to the beach to enjoy the sun and play with her friends in the water, and she wouldn't get to do either if she kept hiding in a blanket.
The water was colder than she had expected, but Kagome was determined to get deep enough that the barely-there suit she was wearing would be hidden below the surface. When she finally stop to look back at the beach she noticed that she was farther out than was probably safe, but before she could move to swim back in cold water was crashing over her head. The shock of the wave left her gasping for air, but all she could get was water. Her lungs felt like they were burning and her limbs were so cold that they didn't seem to be working right. She had come to the beach to enjoy the sun and play with her friends in the water, and now she wouldn't get to do either because she had been so self-conscious about her new bathing suit that she was drowning.
The next thing she knew, she was coughing up brackish water on the beach with strong hands gripping her shoulders. As the rushing in her ears subsided Kagome could hear people nearby talking about some guy. "He was so brave to rush in like that." "He could have died." "Look at those muscles." "He's so good looking it almost makes me wish I had been drowning." "What interesting tattoos he has." "And his hair." "I could use some mouth-to-mouth from him."
When her breathing had steadied, Kagome felt herself being lifted to her knees. As the grip on her shoulders loosened, she forced her gaze up from the naked chest in front of her to meet the piercing eyes of her rescuer. Her mouth seemed to go dry causing her to stumble over her words, "Th-th-thank y-you...um...uh..."
"Sesshomaru," he offered taking her hand and helping her to her feet. As he passed her into the care of her friends, Kagome repeated her thank you. He nodded once before speaking. "By the way," he began, giving her a look over before turning to leave, "I like the polka dots."