Title: The Arrangements

Author: SakuraRyuu

Prompt: Six-Course Challenge - Hors d' Oeuvres

Genre: Romance

AU/CU: AU

Rating: T

Warnings: Language

A/N: Inuyasha and all characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

Kagome had been working with Inuyasha at the local middle school for the last two school years, and he rarely spoke about his older brother. She got the strong impression there was a lot of tension between them so she never asked. He spoke fondly of his parents, though, and they spent many a planning period and lunch talking about family.

During her third year of teaching things went along as usual until Inuyasha had a visitor. Walking into the gym where he taught Physical Education she overheard him talking to someone on his cell phone.

"Do not come here. You have no business coming to my job to meet anyone." A long pause then she heard his office door slam shut. Creeping past the bleachers she could still hear him through the door. "Because she's my friend, and I don't care if you think she will be a good match. I can tell you she wouldn't be. Not for him." A short pause before she heard him yell, "Because he's an asshole and I'm not going to serve my closest friend to him on a platter!"

When Kagome was certain the shitstorm was over she knocked on his office the opened it only to hear Inuyasha say, "Well, damn it," as he looked down at his phone.

"Hey, what's up?" He could tell she had heard.

"You heard." She nodded. "Well, it looks like I've talked you up a little too much at home. Have a seat and I'll explain." Kagome sat in the offered desk chair while Inuyasha sat on his desktop. "So, here's the thing. My family is very old school. Arranged marriages and all that. When I go to my parents' house for dinner each week we talk about what's been going on, and naturally I have spoken about you. Nothing too specific, just general mishaps or things we've spoken about."

Kagome responded, "Of course. Completely understandable."

"They have asked about you and I've told them a little bit. I try to keep some of my friends at a distance just because my father likes to play matchmaker and it's just better if I can'toffer my female friends as fodder for his madness. Unfortunately, you have not been so lucky." Seeing the questioning look on her face he continued. "My brother has been present at some of those family dinners, and he has taken notice of the things I have been saying about you. I have managed to keep them from coming here to meet you, but I have been required to ask you to attend a bar-b-que we are having next weekend. But not as my date. They want you to meet Sesshomaru."

She didn't know what to say. She knew some of the students she had were the product of arranged marriages, and she knew they were just as likely to succeed or fail, just like any other marriage. But she had never been the focus of a possible arranged marriage herself.

"So, you family wants me to come to the get together to meet you brother? To arrange a marriage for him? Wouldn't it be better if her found his own wife?"

Inuyasha knew she was going to ask that. Running his hands through his shot, black hair he explained, "My brother has yet to be involved with anyone my father would consider acceptable. I wouldn't say he's a player, more like a confirmed bachelor, but my father has had enough. Sesshomaru is willing to meet you to get father off his back for a while but he really doesn't expect anything to come from it."

"So, he's curious about me, but not interested in me."

"Yes."

"And your father expects me to change his mind? To arrange a marriage for him to someone he finds acceptable that your brother will tolerate."

"I believe so."

"Oh, man, this is going to suck."

"You got it. And it's dress casual, so if you have a summer dress, maybe a sweater, and some cute wedges, that would be perfect."

"You sure do know a lot about women's fashion." Kagome decided picking on his manhood would be the perfect way to lighten the mood. "I'm not going to see you on "What Not to Wear" or something, am I?"

"I should serve you naked to my brother, smarty." Inuyasha laughed. "I just know that's the kind of thing my mother wears and it's always the perfect thing for get together like this. Besides, I've seen you wear the same thing at school."

"Touche." He got her and she knew it.

Inuyasha followed her back to her classroom. Picking up her planner Kagome turned to the pages for the following weekend. "Ok, give me the detes."*

Sesshomaru looked at his father, almost shocked. "You did what?"

"I had Inuyasha invite Miss Higurashi to the bar-b-que this weekend so you could meet her. I noticed how you seem to hang on every word your brother says when he speaks of her, so I initiated contact." Toga shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

"First, I do not hang on anything Inuyasha says, especially anything he has to say about some school marm he works with. I have told you not to make dates for me. I have no intention of marrying in the near future. If you want to marry someone off get rid of Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru, fresh from his morning run, was headed to his room to shower, looking forward to shedding his sweaty running shorts and t-shirt. Instead he had made the mistake of cutting through the kitchen where his father snagged him for this ludicrous conversation. He now stood in front of his father's breakfast table, arms folded over his chest, watching his father eat his grapefruit and drink his coffee as if he wasn't meddling where he didn't belong.

Wiping his chin with his napkin Toga took a drink of his coffee before he said, "I invited her. She will arrive with Inuyasha, and you will be here to meet her. Now, go shower. You smell."

Sesshomaru snorted at him, then turned on his heal and walked away. Walking toward the hamper he stripped off his sweaty clothes and dropped them in. He pulled the ponytail holder out of his long, black hair and tossed it nonchalantly on the counter as he made his way for the shower. Standing under the water he thought to himself, "So, father wants me to meet this woman. Fine. I'll meet her. But that doesn't mean she will like me."

* detes = details