Just so you know: I think I combed out a few of the tangles; not all of them, but a couple. Anyway I hope it makes a bit more sense now. I might post chapter one on Monday, but this weekend is looking hectic so Wensday or Thursday is more likely; just to give me time to recover from my family (and I mean that in a 'lazy how have you been' way not a 'trying my temper' one).

A/N: Finally managed to tear myself away from reading fics to post some of my own… Anyway, this is for a challenge Alrye posted. This is the prologue and it's set before the war and using it, I try to explain why the war started. I rewrote this over and over until I came up with something I could live with. It's not perfect, but perfect doesn't exist (that I know of).

Alrye's challenge (or at least the plot part of it): War is on the horizen, tensions are high and in a final ditch effort, the King/Queen of the final Free Kingdom has decided to give their child's (the Uke's) hand in marriage to the enemies King/Leader/General/Lord. When the child meets their fiance, the first impression is that he (the seme) is a savage/brute/beast and wishes to have as little contact with him as possible. But with enemies attempting to kill them (the uke), they have no choice but to rely on their fiance/husband and even find love somewhere along the way.

Pairings: Renji/Ichigo, I'll hint at the other pairings as I go along and some of them will be more than hints (see if you can find them). Also, if you pick up hints of Nnoitra/Kenpachi or Kenpachi/Nnoitra I only meant it as a friend/rival not a lover/rival relationship (Sorry if that's your cup of tea but, well, I don't think they'd be able to get together without killing each other; before or after a very heated, rough, more a battle than anything, sex scene (which acctually gives me an idea; a pretty dark, read at your own risk idea, but an idea non the less). Threesomes are kind of an exception because you don't need Ken/Nnoi or Nnoi/Ken for it to work.)

Warnings: Umm… character death, false accusations, blood, OOC, and fem!Luppi. Oh, Luppi has nothing to do (directly) with the start of the war (think of 'her' as a sort of catalyst or maybe Aizen's tool?).

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach nor do I own the central plot.

I think I've talked your ear off enough so I'll just get on with the story...

Prologue

"You summoned me, my Lord?" Luppi Antenor knelt before her Lord. "What do you require?"

"I want you to kill the Queen." There was a gesture and a dark haired male stepped from the shadows and handed Luppi a dagger. The blade was slightly curved and the hilt was two rectangles crossed. "Gain her trust and leave the dagger in her heart. Time doesn't matter, do it in an hour or next year."

"Yes, my Lord." Luppi smiled and left.

"Gimmjow?" A tall man with ice-blue hair appeared from the shadows the same way the dark haired man had. "Keep an eye on her. Once she completes the job, kill her."

One year later

Luppi raised the sharp steel above her head and brought it down to plunge into Queen Masaki's heart. Masaki gave a small, surprised gasp and she fell to the ground. "Luppi…?" Masaki's innocent confusion made Luppi want to do more than just leave the knife protruding from the woman's chest. But orders were orders. Luppi opened the chamber door; she turned, ready to scream. But the only sound that came was a half cough, half gurgle. Blood dribbled down her chin and she looked down in time to see a blade exiting her body from the other side. She looked over her shoulder to see ice-blue hair, cerulean eyes, and a self-satisfied grin.

"Why… Grimm…jow…?"

"The moment ya carried out the order ya became expendable." Grimmjow tore his blade up and out through Luppi's shoulder with strength he usually kept hidden. There was a fountain of blood from the wound as the young woman fell to the rug-covered stone floor. A year of waiting, of painstakingly gaining the Queen's trust; just so I could die here…? was the last thought that crossed Luppi's mind before death claimed her. Grimmjow wiped his sword on the hem of Luppi's gown, re-sheathed it, and exited the Queen's chamber. As he left, "Harribel." a blonde haired, green eyed woman with tanned skin stepped from the shadowed alcove beside the Queen's room.

Harribel waited until Grimmjow disappeared around a corner before she screamed. She ran down the hall, then the stairs, and finally banged on a door. A black haired male opened the door. "The Queen she's…!" She panted from her sprint from the Queen's chamber to the personal quarters of the Healer/general Restsu Unohana. Restsu stood immediately and strode past the panting head of staff.

"Hanataro, get Isane. Harribel," Restsu made it a point to memorize all of the staffs' names. "Tell the King to come to his wife's chamber." Restsu watched Harribel and Hanataro run off in separate directions before she hurried to Queen Masaki's chamber. She was just kneeling beside the Queen when Isane rushed into the room to join her, Hanataro right behind her. "Hanataro, make sure the King doesn't enter until I give the okay. Understand?" The blue eyed male nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind him. He was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be any real help.

"Alright Isane." Was all Restsu needed to say. Isane knelt beside the Queen and gripped the hilt of the dagger, she pulled it out carefully and gently. Restsu applied pressure to the wound; there wasn't anything Restsu could do for the internal damage because it was too severe, but she could slow the death and dull the pain. Hopefully it would be enough for at least the King to say good-bye. So she set to work as Isane began handing her the things she'd need; Restsu applied an herb to dull the pain before temporarilly stemming the blood flow of the wound, stitched it closed, applied salve, and wrapped bandages around the Queen's chest. The salve and bandages were just precautions in case Restsu's effort were enough. She then checked for other wounds, but there were none. "Hanataro."

"Yes?" As if on cue, the black haired male stuck his head in the door.

"He can come in now..." Rstsu rose with a sigh as King Isshin rushed in, his face set with worry. "You don't have much time." Was all she said when he looked at her, the small glimmer of hope dying in his dark eyes; she left the room and started down the hall. It was hard when you couldn't save someone, it was even harder to see the impact it had on the loved one's. To see their lives shattered and plunged into the darkness of dispair. In the end all she could do was try her best... and hope.

Isshin knelt at his wife's bedside, taking her small hand in his larger one. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes but he refused to let them fall quite yet, he didn't want to worry Masaki. Her hand squeezed his, "You don't have to put on a brave face for me Isshin, I know." Her voice was barely a whisper. A smile formed and she tilted her head, giving her that innocent expression everyone loved. His heart broke even more with the words and when she smiled his tears fell. She was such a kind, gentle person and he loved her so much, yet this was all the time they got to say good-bye. An angry thought ran through his mind; he would track down whoever did this and... "Don't, Isshin. Death only begets death, don't continue the cycle; don't let my death lead to more. I'm only glad that it wasn't you or our children." But Isshin couldn't stop his thoughts.

"Mommy?" Isshin's head jerked up, all he saw was a streak of bright orange as Ichigo ran into the room. He leapt onto the bed; Masaki turned her head to look at her youngest son, still smiling. "Daddy ran off and Shiro followed him. So, I followed Shiro and now he's sad." Isshin looked back at the doorway and, sure enough, there was Shiro, peeking around the frame. His golden eyes shined with unshed tears, his face awhash in sadness as he he stared into the room.

"Come here, Shiro." Masaki held her hand out to her eldest and he came into the room and hesitantly crawled onto the bed to join his twin, taking his mother's hand. "You and Ichigo take good care of your sisters for mommy, alright?" They both nodded, Shiro hugged her and Ichigo followed suit.

"Are you going somewhere mommy?" Ichigo looked up at her smiling face.

"Yes. But don't worry, when we see each other again it'll be like no time passed." She gave Ichigo and Shiro each a hug. "Now, go watch your sisters while mommy and daddy say good-bye." Ichigo left first with a subdued Shiro following more slowly. Masaki turned back to Isshin and sqeezed his hand again, "Take care of them Isshin and... don't mourn me too long." Her voice became quieter and quieter and Isshin had to lean forward to hear. "Good-bye, Isshin."

"Good-bye... I love you, Masaki."

"I love... you too..." She sighed, her eyes fluttered shut, her breathing stopped, and then she was gone. He held her hand to his forehead and cried. After what seemed like forever, he looked up with blood-shot eyes and caught sight of the dagger that lay forgotten on the table beside the bed. He recognized the symbol that made up the hilt; it belonged to a group of assassin's employed by Renji Abarai, one of Isshin's Lords. A young man who'd had the Lordship of Seireitei forced on him by the untimely death's of his parents. They had lost all contact except for the taxes the young Lord sent once a year; neither Abarai nor the rest of Seireitei had shown any signs of rebellion. So what did it mean?

As news spread anger rose like a black cloud over the Kingdom. Everyone clambered for some form of action, Isshin tried to give it to them. He sent men out with the intention of confronting Renji with the evidence against him, but things rarely turn out how you want. The whole thing went badly, Isshin's infringement was misinterpreted as an invasion. Rukongai, one of the villages Seireitei encompassed, took up arms and Isshin's men were forced to kill some of the villager's to protect themselves; most everyone else retreated to Seireitei. When the survivors told Renji what had happened the young Lord retaliated and Isshin's soldiers, now angrier than when they started out, sent a scout back to their King and began a counter attack. War broke over the Kingdom.

Eventually news reached Isshin and he found out that, one by one, the Kingdoms around his fell and rumors that it was Lord Abarai's doing increased with each passing day. Isshin wondered how Renji had managed the feat with his limited resouces, but those thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as reports flooded in. After about a year Isshin left the whole thing up to Sosuke Aizen, his General that he thought was best for the job because all his other soldier's looked up to; including those on equal footing as the soft-spoken man. Now he spent just about all his time with his children, especially his daughters.

A/N: Sorry if it didn't make much sense or seemed kind of jumbled. I couldn't think how to get some of the emotions across or the fact that Renji was framed. The next chapters will be better, I hope… Again, I'm really sorry if it was muddled… Reviews are welcome, especially the helpful ones. Don't be afraid to tell me what's wrong, I can take it (even though getting reviews, favorites, and alerts make me nervous; I do thrive on them.) Hope to see you next chapter…