"Kissing is like drinking salt water.

You drink, and your thirst increases."

… Chinese Proverb …

I: The Task

Long silk skirts whispered as a petite, dark haired woman strode purposefully down the carpeted hallway towards the large decorated wooden doors that seemed to beckon her closer. Almost as though they had a mind of their own and they sensed her presence, the doors swung open and she passed them by without a second thought before they closed behind her with a snap. Her short, but rapid strides came to an abrupt halt shortly after she stepped through the door and a look of bewilderment crossed her angelic face for a moment before it passed and in its place, a vibrant smile that could soften even the coldest of hearts. A long crimson carpet paved the way towards a dais on which sat the two most important people in the kingdom and the woman hastily made her way towards them, pausing briefly only to curtsy as a sign of respect before flinging herself into her father's open arms and submitting herself to her mother's kisses.

"You've returned!" the petite woman exclaimed when she finally disentangled herself from her parents' loving embraces. "I was beginning to think you'd left me here alone for good!"

"Never, dear child," her mother said fondly as she smoothed her daughter's hair.

"Do you bring news?" the woman asked excitedly, ignoring her mother's gentle words.

"We do, but your mother and I have made some very difficult decisions that we need to discuss with you," her father said gently, a slightly saddened look in his eyes as he regarded his precious daughter.

The dark haired woman sat back on her heels and stared at her parents with a mixture of horror and sadness. No word had left her lips since her parents had told her that it was time she found a suitor and everyone in the room sat on edge as they waited for the inevitable outburst of anger and tears, but it never came. Once she had taken in the news, she sighed to herself and rose to her feet, smoothing out her long skirts as she did so before curtsying to her parents once more, her head bowed respectfully and her posture so perfect it would have made her etiquette tutors weep with pride if they were to see her. Her rigid back and the grim set of her lips were the only indication of her displeasure.

"Please do not resent us for asking this of you, dear," her mother said, worry evident in her eyes as she looked at her daughter.

"You are young, Rin," her father added. "A princess as well. There will be no shortage of suitors eager for your hand and you can be sure that we will find the best ones for you to choose from."

"I'm sure you will," Rin replied. "It saddens me that I cannot make such decisions for myself."

Turning on her heel, the young woman walked out of the room lacking the exuberance she had arrived with and her parents could only watch her go, knowing that they were doing what was best for their daughter. Sighing heavily, Rin closed the door to her chambers and leaned against it as she surveyed her bedroom with a critical eye. If she married a prince or a noble, she would have to leave behind this room and most of its contents. This had been her bedroom since she was a child and she had no desire to leave it or her belongings in favour of moving into a man's bedroom. The very thought of sharing a room with a man sent a shiver down her spine and she quickly pushed aside the thought. Her mother had frequently complained to her when she was a child about how untidy her father was and how little regard he had for their bedchamber. Being a very tidy individual, Rin did not relish the thought of possibly going through a similar situation herself, but eventually consoled herself with the thought that it was entirely possible that her future marriage would be very different from that of her parents.

A smile crossed her face as she thought of her parents. Seiji and Tsukiko Hayashi had been the best parents Rin could ask for and she knew that they were simply acting in her best interests. She also knew that it would not be appropriate for their only daughter to remain unmarried. Still, the idea of allowing a man she didn't know into her life who might become a permanent fixture didn't sit well with her at all. Sighing, she walked across to her balcony and sat down heavily on the bench as she looked out over the lush green gardens below. She supposed marrying a man she didn't know what just a sacrifice she was going to have to make to please her parents. Perhaps she would be lucky and meet someone nice.

*-*-*-*-*

There had been no more discussion after that day about Rin's marriage and everyone in the castle wisely avoided discussing the topic anywhere where she might overhear it. The people at the castle were rather fond of their cheerful albeit feisty princess and would frequently go out of their way to simply be in her company. It had become tradition for new members of staff to be her guardians or maids until they had become accustomed to life at the castle. Rin had a calming effect on people that no one could understand but everyone wanted. Seiji was a patient man by nature, but his temper was unpredictable and fearsome when unleashed and when it was discovered that his daughter's presence calmed him, Rin was required to sit with her father during any meeting where unpleasant news had to be delivered. As a child, she had jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with her beloved father and more often than not, she would be sleeping contently on his lap by the end of the meeting. When she became old enough to understand why her presence was required, Rin had simply smiled and sat quietly beside her father while matters completely beyond her grasp were discussed.

The relationship between Tsukiko and Rin had been strange for those who didn't understand it. From an outsider's perspective, they seemed to be best friends rather than the mother and daughter that they were. Rin had always been a sensible child and was fiercely independent. Even now at the age of twenty, she refused to be coddled by the people at the castle. Everyone had been quite amused to discover that she had inherited her father's unpredictable temper which was quite a contrast to the calm and demure nature that had been inherited from her mother. Seiji had laughed heartily when she had first lost her temper with one of the poor unfortunate guards who had been assigned to watch over her when she walked in the gardens. The poor man had been utterly shell shocked by the ill temper of the petite princess who always smiled and laughed happily. While her father continued to find her sudden temper tantrums quite amusing, her mother had not been impressed when she had heard about the incident. Thus, Rin was put through vigorous etiquette training as though it could somehow rid the girl of her unpredictable temper. Needless to say, that idea had failed spectacularly but Rin simply learned to hide her anger to please her mother and worked hard to become the lady that Tsukiko desperately wanted.

Throughout her childhood, Rin had had one close friend who had watched over her much like a mother would her child to ensure that she never drifted too far from the path she should be walking down. Kagome was the daughter of one of Seiji's advisors and the King had ensured that the family were well looked after when the man had tragically lost his life to an illness. The two girls grew up together and were the best of friends, spending as much time as possible with each other, but as time passed, Kagome was required to learn medical skills from her mother and Rin was required to spend more time learning to become a lady. Although they still saw each other from time to time, it always came as a surprise to see how much the other had changed and it was saddening to think that they had been apart when the changes took place.

A fortnight after Rin had been informed of her parent's decision; she was once again called to their throne room. Sighing to herself, she smoothed her dress down as she slowly made her way down the long corridor to the room her parents occupied. She knew that she should probably not keep them waiting, but the usual exuberance that endeared her to all those around her was not present and a sense of foreboding was in its place. The people she passed on her way to the throne room kept their faces carefully blank as they bowed and curtsied respectfully to her as she passed despite her protests and she paused when she saw the enormous door to the room in question at the very end of corridor. Mentally preparing herself for what she knew was probably not going to be a very good encounter, Rin pressed on and smiled slightly at the two guards who stood on either side of the door before stepping through the door and glancing around.

"Ah, Rin! You've arrived," Seiji said with a smile and beckoned her forward.

Warily, Rin walked towards her father. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw his lips twitch as though he was about to smile and was instantly suspicious of his reasons for calling her here. Tsukiko on the other hand clearly did not share her husband's amusement. A slight frown creased her forehead and her hands twisted on her lap anxiously as her daughter approached.

"We've decided on a course of action," Seiji said, smothering his amusement with a failed expression of seriousness.

"Is that so?" Rin asked, sitting down on a nearby chair and eyeing her father suspiciously. "What is your plan, father?"

"After looking through the list of princes and nobles, we have decided on a short list of men who would be suitable. However, it is your choice who you will marry."

"That leaves me in the same position as I was before, father," Rin deadpanned.

"Not at all!" Seiji exclaimed with a grin and lifted his hand in a brief gesture before the doors opened again. "You will travel to meet these men and then you will make your final decision."

"Surely you do not expect me to travel alone?"

"Of course not. Kagome will accompany you."

An exclamation of surprise interrupted Rin before she could speak and she turned around hastily as she recognised the voice. Standing in the doorway was Kagome, an expression of confusion on her face. Rin stared at her friend in disbelief before looking at her parents with a vague smile.

"Very well," she said quietly. "If that is how you wish it to be done then is shall be so. When do you wish me to leave?"

"Whenever you are ready, dear," Tsukiko said with a look that was clearly begging her not to leave too soon.

Nodding her understanding, Rin took her leave from the room and walked back to her chambers with Kagome. The moment they stepped through the door and it was closed behind them, the pair lapsed into childish giggles and wrapped their arms tightly around each other. When they had eventually calmed themselves, they retired to the balcony to exchange news and stories.

"You've grown up, Rin!" Kagome exclaimed, eyeing her friend seriously.

"I've not changed," Rin replied. "You have though."

"I'm still the same. I cannot believe that you aren't already married! It's a wonder there aren't men queuing up in the gardens just to see you."

"You're older than me Kagome. Between the two of us, I have always thought that it would be you who married first."

Kagome waved a hand dismissively. "It's hardly surprising that you would think so, but there are no men in this town that are suitable."

"No one lives up to your high standards?" Rin asked with a teasing grin.

"My standards aren't that high!"

"But they're high enough to make you turn away every man who wishes to be more than your friend?"

"Putting that aside," Kagome said, not bothering to disguise her attempts to change the subject. "I was suddenly called here without being told why. What's going on, Rin? You know I don't like being left in the dark about important things!"

Sighing, Rin got to her feet and fetched a pitcher of water before returning to the table where Kagome sat. As she poured the cool water into the glasses, she wondered how she was supposed to tell her friend that she had to drop everything she was doing to accompany her on a mission to find her husband. It seemed very unreasonable and part of her wanted her friend to remain out of the problem, but another part of Rin knew that Kagome's guidance would be invaluable on the quest her parents had given her. While Rin was every inch the lady her mother had wanted her to be and knew everything about how to behave in social situations, her temper was often her downfall. Kagome, on the other hand, was sensible and level headed at all times despite also having a fearsome temper. Rin sat down and looked at her friend seriously, deciding that it would be best for Kagome to accompany her.

"Well?" Kagome probed. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"My parents have decided that I should find myself a husband," Rin started. "They have given me a list of suitable men and I must go to see them all before I make my choice."

"That is unfair, isn't it? Why don't you have a say in who you marry?"

"I do. I get to choose from the list."

"That's not really much of a choice when you consider how many men are eligible to marry you."

"I have to choose from six. I suppose I should be grateful that they didn't give the whole list of eligible men. It would have taken me so long to see them all that I would probably be ancient by the time I made a choice."

Kagome laughed. "Why am I here though?"

"My parents want you to come with me when I go to meet these men."

"I suppose I should," Kagome said thoughtfully before grinning at her friend. "No doubt you'll get into trouble if I'm not around to keep you going down the right road."

"You make me sound incompetent!" Rin exclaimed with mock hurt.

"Not incompetent, just impulsive," Kagome corrected with a smile as she stood up and stretched. "So when do we leave?"

"I don't think Mother is keen on this idea, but I'd rather just go and get it over and done with."

"Over and done with? This is your future you're talking about."

"I know, but the future doesn't look quite as rosy as I had first though now that my parents have given me this task."

"It'll be fine. You'll find a handsome prince who'll whisk you off your feet and the pair of you will ride off into the sunset on a beautiful white horse to live happily ever after!"

"Aren't you a bit too old to still be reading fairy tales?" Rin asked with a vague smile as she got to her feet.

"Maybe, but you're never too old to dream about your 'Prince Charming,'" Kagome replied with a grin.

"Well maybe while we're on this little quest, you'll find your prince. At least then one of us will have a happy future with 'Prince Charming.'"

*-*-*-*-*

AN: So this is going to be my new focus. I've sort of lost interest in Bad Influence and I got the idea for this after rediscovering my old book of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm :)

I realise that I have named this chapter which is something I never do, but I decided to give it a try and see how I liked it. I actually planned this story out quite carefully so hopefully it'll turn out okay.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this one and I promise that I will start working on Bad Influence when I finish this story.

xMxAx