For a tumblr prompt "You smell like a wet dog." Has inspired a new chapter fic, called Doctor Dog, which will be posted on my AO3 profile.
The wave rushed over her head. A moment ago they'd been laughing, splashing each other in the shallows, and she'd run into the ocean, swimming out a short way to avoid her little brother's teasing. Kagome was a fair swimmer, but not brilliant; she'd never been in water this deep before, and never the ocean.
She hadn't noticed at first, too busy gazing in wonder at the view of the sleepy little seaside town up on the cliff above the beach, enjoying the sound of the sea and the smell of the salt, the warmth of the early Summer sunshine after the cold weather they'd left behind in Tokyo. And then she suddenly noticed how far away the beach was, and that her feet could no longer touch the sand – somehow, she was being swept out to sea. She tried not to think of how panicked Mama, Grandpa and Souta would be if they noticed she was in trouble. None of them were great swimmers either.
She fought against the current in panic, trying to breaststroke back to shore, but it felt like she wasn't getting anywhere; the pale yellow sand of the beach with their striped umbrella to protect against the sun was looking further and further away, and she was getting exhausted. A wave knocked her sideways and her head went under. She kicked back to the surface with a gasp. There was no way she was going to be responsible for ruining their family holiday she thought determinedly. Coming to Australia had always been a dream of hers, to see a country so huge, so beautiful – and it was their first family holiday since Papa had died. She kept her eyes firmly on the shore, trying to focus on swimming towards her family, barely able to see them any more in among the families enjoying the beach and the waves that rose and fell to hide the shoreline from her.
Another wave went over her head, and she swallowed saltwater. She was beginning to get tired, barely able to kick her legs anymore. She tried to tread water, but the waves were pushing her around, and more saltwater rushed into her nose and mouth as she tried to call out for help. She could feel herself going under. She splashed her hands upwards trying to keep her head above water, trying to kick her legs. She felt so heavy. Her lungs were burning, and she closed her eyes in despair. She wasn't going to make it.
A warm hand grabbed hers, and she felt herself being lifted out of the water as her chest came in contact with something hard and floating. She dropped her head down onto the smooth surface – it smelt oddly of coconuts and wax. A surfboard. She coughed and spluttered, unable to speak. Hands grabbed her legs, swinging them onto the board as she continued to cough, laying face down on the surfboard. A warm hand pushed her head gently to the side, stroking her forehead soothingly. The voice behind her was deep and masculine, speaking English, but she was too shaken to try and translate the words in her head at the moment. Finally she heard something she could understand.
"Nihonjindesu ka?"
"Hai", she managed.
The stroking on her forehead continued. The hand was warm. "Daijobu uke aimasu", the voice said. She repeated the words in her head as she spluttered, her lungs burning. 'Everything is going to be okay. He promised. Everything is going to be okay'.
The board was rocking gently underneath her, she could hear splashing sounds, and feel the warmth of her rescuer's body and the smooth rubbery texture of a wetsuit against her bare back as he leaned forward, his arms cutting through the water in swooping motions, paddling them back to shore.
"Sorry", she coughed, trying to turn to look at her rescuer. "Sorry for being a bother."
"Hey, take it easy." A gentle hand pressed against her shoulder, and she lay back down. "I'm glad you can speak English – I only remember a little Japanese. I'll get you back to the beach soon – we've just gotta paddle parallel to the shoreline to get past this rip. Hold on to the board with your hands if you can."
As soon as the board skimmed across the sand she was picked up and easily carried in strong arms.
"Looks like you've got a few people here that are worried about you", he said.
"Kagome!"
Her mother's voice was shrill and worried. She tried to smile and stop coughing as she spotted Mama and Souta sprinting towards her across the sand, with Grandpa walking quickly behind them, but she was finding it difficult to draw in a deep breath, and soon began coughing again, unable to reply to her mother's frantic questions in Japanese.
"I think we should get you to a hospital. It sounds like you've aspirated some saltwater, and that can be dangerous", the voice behind her muttered. She tipped her head back and was momentarily mesmerised by the amber eyes looking down at her. She blinked, taking in the dark tan skin, choppy white hair darkened to grey by the water, and finally, a twitching pair of pointed ears.
"Youkai", she whispered. He grinned down at her, a sharp white fang poking over his lip.
"Haven't heard that word in a while. I'm hāfu – Dad was an inuyoukai, Mama was human." His eyes flickered over her in concern when she began coughing again. "Right, we need to get you checked out. I'm gonna call an ambulance."
He laid Kagome down on the beach towel indicated by her mother, who immediately sat beside her to hold her hand, brushing the dark wet fringe off her daughter's face. They watched as the youkai jogged slightly up the beach where there was a towel and bag, then returned quickly, digging out his phone and talking on it urgently. Mama and Grandpa fluttered around Kagome anxiously as she coughed and wheezed. Souta sprinted back down to the waves and retrieved the surfboard.
They all looked at the youkai with wide eyes as he hung up the phone. "Right", he said, then noticed Souta holding his surfboard. "Ah, arigato kiddo."
He scratched his head muttering, "I don't know if I remember enough to explain this." He took a deep breath. "Watashinonamaeha inuyashadesu. Um… Kagome", he gestured towards Kagome, then tapped his own chest, "hai ni mizu", then waved his hand from side to side, trying to indicate maybe. "Damn, I don't know the word for ambulance."
"Kyukyusha", coughed Kagome.
"Right. Byoin e no kyukyusha. Or is it hosupitaru?"
Kagome's mother looked at him and nodded. "Kagome may have water in her lungs and you've called an ambulance to take her to hospital. Is that correct?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Ha! Yeah, that's right. Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed… we get a lotta tourists around here in summer that don't speak English."
"That's quite alright Inuyasha-san." She looked worriedly at Kagome, then breathed a deep sigh of relief when the sound of sirens began to get closer. "Will they let me go with her?"
"I don't see why not. But they won't let all of you go. If you like, I could bring…", he trailed off as he realised he didn't know anyone else's name.
Kagome's grandfather gave a slight bow. "Kenshin" he said, then indicated Kagome's mother, "Kaori".
"And I'm Souta!"
Inuyasha grinned at the young teen, then looked up at the ambulance parked up on the hill above the beach.
"I'll be right back."
Not long after, Kagome was safely in the back of the ambulance with Mama. Inuyasha promised to bring Grandpa and Souta along with him in his car, and they would all meet at the hospital.
The paramedic gently placed a breathing mask over Kagome's face. "This should make things easier for you", she smiled, turning the knob to allow airflow into the mask. "You seem to have made quite an impression on Inuyasha – I don't think I've ever seen him that talkative."
"Oh really?" replied Kagome's mother in surprise, as she held on to Kagome's hand, rubbing her arm in a comforting manner. "We found him to be very polite and kind."
"Yeah, he's known around here as a bit of a grump. We always joke that he became a veterinarian rather than a people doctor because his bedside manner was so poor."
Kagome suddenly laughed, then had a coughing fit. "A dog youkai", she wheezed, "who looks after dogs." The paramedic smiled.
"Yeah, but don't say that to him – I think that joke got old real fast. And speaking of which", she leaned towards Kagome and sniffed, then sighed. "Now my ambulance smells of wet dog."