Inurella

Chapter 5: A shocking discovery

***Meanwhile back at the castle***

"Hey Sango" Inuyasha waved while pulling Miroku out from behind him.

Miroku cleared his throat nervously "uhhh hi Sango" Miroku said quickly.

"Hello boys, what kind of trouble are you two up to today?" Sango said as she poured water into a bucket for the horses.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and sighed. "The only trouble we're in is that we don't have a clue about girls and as I'm sure you already know I'm being pressured into finding a girlfriend and…."

Sango stood up straight wiping her hair out of her eyes. "Oh right the ball; you want advice on how to pick your dream girl is that it?" Sango asked.

"Ball? What ball?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"We haven't heard anything about a ball" Miroku said as he looked at Inuyasha.

Sango looked at them as if they were joking "How have you not heard? It's been all over the palace since this morning, your mother and father surely must've told you about it….buuuuut I'm guessing by the look on your face that they didn't tell you" Sango winced.

Inuyasha growled "No they did not, but I'm about to find out why" Inuyasha said as he stormed off.

Miroku stood there alone with Sango looking around uncomfortably.

"Ah….ha ha ha" Miroku laughed nervously "I guess he was in a hurry" Miroku said he swung his arms back and forth.

Sango giggled "Yes I suppose he was. So I guess you'll be having a lot of girls to choose from for your date to the ball." Sango asked curiously.

"Oh right the ball, ah aha ha, yeah tons of girls…..Uh, Oh, I mean no." Miroku said as he shook his head and glanced directly at Sango "I kind of just had one girl in mind" Miroku said bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

Sango started to blush but quickly turned around and pretended to keep herself busy. "Well you better hurry up and ask her before someone else does, the ball is only 1 week away, a girl needs to prepare ya know."

Miroku looked down at his feet. "Right….well I was planning on asking her maybe sometime tomorrow after dinner out in the garden" Miroku said as he gulped.

Sango stopped what she was doing and smiled to herself. "Oh, well I'm sure the lucky lady will be there waiting for you" Sango said shyly.

Miroku gulped and wiped his brow with the back of his hand catching the sweat that was dripping off his forehead.

"Well I better get back to the castle, Inuyasha will need some comforting after hearing that there's going to be a ball and finding a date for him, isn't going to be easy. He laughed nervously again.

Sango quickly turned around "Oh no, the King is having the ball for him, so he can choose a wife. The girl who he picks will be living in the castle for a fortnight, to see if the girl is worthy of being future Queen and of course to see if Inuyasha and the girl fall in love." Sango explained.

"What? That's insane; Inuyasha's never going to go through with that!" Miroku said panicking.

"Relax it's a good thing, that way Inuyasha will be the King before Sesshoumaru, If Inuyasha doesn't pick someone to be his future bride then Sesshoumaru will get the throne and all us humans will be slaves or something dramatic like that." Sango replied.

"How do you know all this?" Miroku asked curiously.

"There are a lot of women in this castle…..

"Oh I noticed" Miroku thought smiling off to the side.

Sango leaned in "…so where there are a lot of women there's usually a lot of gossip and my sources are quite reliable." Sango said as she dusted her skirt off and winked at Miroku.

Miroku's heart was a flutter…then realized he had to get to Inuyasha.

"Well this is crazy; I have to tell Inuyasha…uhhh and will I see you around…maybe tomorrow night in the garden?" Miroku asked hopefully.

"Maybe" Sango said smiling.

Miroku gulped.

Sango blushed as Miroku ran off towards the castle hoping when he got inside the castle that it would still be in one piece.

***Meanwhile in the palace lunch room***

-BANG-

Inuyasha flew open the doors to where his parents had their meals.

"What's this about having a ball and not telling me about it?" Inuyasha asked out of breath.

Izayoi and Inu-no-taisho dropped their bread and looked at one another.

"Dearest did you forget to mention this to our son's?" The King asked his wife calmly.

"Why yes I believe it just slipped my mind. After all I've been planning it all this afternoon; it just never occurred to me" The Queen said casually.

Inuyasha gaped at his parents. "It slipped your mind? I found out from Sango!"

"Sango? Yes Sango is a lovely young lady, don't you think dear?" Izayoi interrupted.

"Absolutely, very nice girl" the King said as he took a bite out of a biscuit. "Who is she again?" He muttered with food in his mouth.

Dear she's the nice young woman who takes care of all the royal animals and is good friends with Inuyasha and Miroku, we've known her forever darling" Izayoi said sipping her tea.

"Oh yes, yes I remember her now, silly me, how embarrassing."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes impatiently "Mom, Dad, explain to me why we are having a ball that includes me finding a date"

Izayoi laughed. "No, no silly, you don't have to find a date before the ball…"

Inuyasha sighed from relief.

Izayoi took a deep breath "We've invited all of the women from across the country to attend the ball so you can choose a lucky young lady of your choice" Izayoi winked and took another breath. "After you've picked this girl she'll be spending a fortnight with us at the castle, to see if she would be a suitable match for you and for being the future queen.

Izayoi stopped and fanned herself. "It's really that simple darling, why don't you come and sit down and tell me about your day?" Izayoi asked happily as she motioned for Inuyasha to come and sit beside her.

Inuyasha just stood there gawking in disbelief. "Y-you, what? You're having a ball so I can pick some random female to be my future bride? Are you both insane?" Inuyasha said still in shock growling under his breath.

Inu-no-taisho abruptly put down his tea. "Now now, don't yell at us like that, we're only thinking about you and our kingdom, this is the best solution for all of us. You get to choose a wife and eventually become King and Sesshoumaru doesn't enslave and murder all human life."

Inu-no-taisho took a bite out of a biscuit and said with a full mouth. "Well until you die that is, but we'll think of something to stall him when that time comes…..boy is he going to be mad at me." The king said laughing.

Inuyasha sat himself at the end of the table opposite his parents and smacked his head down onto the table.

Just then Miroku opened the doors breathing heavily and looked around the room. "Oh good everyone's ok and alive!"

Miroku glanced down at Inuyasha who had smashed his head on the table "Never mind my mistake, everyone's not ok"

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arm and dragged him out of the chair, "Come on, we've got lots of things to talk about I'm sure"

"Just think darling, you just have to choose one girl who you really think that'll be worth getting to know and everything will work out for the best." Izayoi explained kindly.

Inuyasha remained limp in Miroku's grasp and sighed "Keh, so….do I have a choice in this at all?

"Yes….but only with the choice of the girl" the King said sternly raising the tea cup to his lips.

"Does Sesshoumaru know about this ball" Inuyasha asked with a raised eye brow.

Izayoi and Inu-no-taisho both put down their cups and stopped chewing and gulped slowly looking at each other.

"Well you see, we haven't had the time ". The king said as he made circles on the table with his finger and pouted.

Izayoi looked pleadingly at Inuyasha.

Miroku loudly cleared his throat "Well good luck with telling him he needs to find a date" Miroku said laughing heading towards the door still dragging Inuyasha.

"Not so fast, since you two aren't doing anything" Izayoi bit her lip "Could you track down your brother and tell him all about the ball? Izayoi asked innocently making circles with her finger on the table and pouted.

The King coughed and scratched his head.

"You might not want to mention the thing about how if you get married he won't be getting the throne. The King shrugged and lowered his head. "I don't know it's just a suggestion." The King laughed and stretched. "I'd rather it be you son than me hahaha. I'm kidding of course"

Inu-no-taisho nodded. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just make sure if Sesshoumaru kills you, make sure he has the Tensaiga on him, I'm sure after a little coaxing and reasoning he'll bring you back to life."

"Dearest, how can you say such things? Sesshoumaru would never harm Inuyasha" Izayoi glared at the king.

The King, Miroku and Inuyasha all burst out laughing.

"What? What's so funny you three?" Izayoi asked impatiently.

"Nothing dear, we'll have a little talk later today, about how you're oblivious to our son's feelings about one another." The king said as he patted his queen on the hand gently.

Miroku couldn't help laughing as he and Inuyasha turned around and walked away.