Chapter: God Save The Queen!

Shalan's Say: Hi… it's been a while… I'm sorry. I AM! Gosh… hides in the corner…

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His hips swirled in a circle as he laughed along with his dance teacher. "Stop it Mr. President… Please…" She nearly threw her hands in the air.

"C'mon it's a fun beat…" she blushed as the President of the United States of America took her hands and swung her in a circle to the fast Latin beat. "Nanao!" He protested as she swung out of his grip and disappeared behind the curtains. "Nanao! Come back!" He followed her and pulled open the curtain only to see some one that he did not expect.

"Nanao! Nanao! What are you co-dependent Kurosaki?" Her wry smile was pasted across her face as she walked into the room.

"Rukia…" her named spilled off his lips before he could stop it. He watched as tears filled her eyes. The gun that had been hidden beneath her cowled top had saved her life as she dove for the president. The sniper's bullet had been aimed at where the president had been standing when she pushed him out of the way, meaning that if she hadn't been on top of him when the bullet hit the president would have been killed by the bullet anyways.

"Ichigo…" She replied, biting her bottom lip and swallowing hard enough that she could feel it all the way down.

"You saved my life…"

"That I did…" she nodded her head and cast a glance sheepishly towards his shoes. God he was beautiful naked, she tried to clear her head of the image of his birthday suit, and failed.

"Thank you." She tilted her head towards him as though she hadn't quite heard what he said. "Thank you for saving my life," he drew her eyes deep into his as she stared at him. He was thanking her for doing her job?

"It's my job Mr. President," she attempted to draw her violet gaze from his steely ocher but failed, again.

"Rukia…" hearing his deep voice purr her name made her body go numb. There was that slight lilt on his speech again… the strange combination between an American and British accent.

"Yes… Mr. President?" She barely choked out his title as their lips came closer together.

"Thank you for saving my life," she exhaled as their lips touched in the most amazing kiss she had ever experienced in her entire life. Her very long and well traveled life. Her lips parted for only a second as his tongue wound its way into her mouth, tasting, teasing, playing with her moist cavern. God… if only he wasn't the president of the United States and standing in a room full of video cameras… video cameras… Reality slammed the brakes on their short lived romance as she jerked back so hard she fell off balance and was caught by a pair of strong arms. "You had to jump start yourself didn't you?" He chuckled as she groaned in pain. He pulled her back to standing. "I was just learning how to Waltz when you came in… wanna learn with me?"

"Sure… why not?" She cast her glance away from him.

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"DAMN YOU! I GET BACK AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS CALL ME AT 3 AM!" She fumed towards him down the hallway, her long black hair flowing out behind her.

"I wanted to remind you to take your meds…" she stopped dead in her tracks. He was worried about her being in pain? "You always forget…" He looked down sheepishly.

"Well… uhm… geez…" she rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks…" He nodded his head. It seemed she was a hard person to please… as usual. "I thought you just wanted…"

"Pizza?" He grinned from within the oval office.

"That's what you always want when you call me like that…" She looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Yeah well this time I decided against it… good night Rukia." He turned and walked down the hallway.

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"Jesus H Christ," she pressed her face into her pillow as the kiss from earlier filled her belly with heat. "The man oughta come with a warning label!" Rukia fussed as Kazumi unwrapped her bandages.

"So was the curse for him or for the pain?" Kazumi lifted her eyebrows. Uryu shook his head from the corner of the room.

"Both damn it…" she growled. "He ought to have a warning label that reads Warning: According to the Surgeon General's regard for your physical and psychological health you should not walk, stand, run, swim or operate heavy machinery within 150 yards of the President of the United States. If you do one or more of the following side affects can occur: a fierce need to plow your foot up his ass, nausea, migraines, aggression and a very, VERY violent need to beat something to death." Uryu snorted at that one.

"You and your smart mouth are going to get in trouble one of these days…" Thought he knew otherwise. She was Ichigo's favorite staff member beside himself.

"Trouble shmouble!" Rukia practically shouted at him. Kazumi began to roll up the bandages and throw them away as Rukia walked into the bathroom and settled into the gigantic bathtub. "He's like… like… AAAGH!" A loud splash echoed in the marble bathroom and Kazumi exchanged looks with Uryu.

"Are you alright in there?" Uryu tried to bite back his laugh as Kazumi covered her mouth.

"FINE!" She spat. "I'M FINE!"

"She's a goner…" Kazumi chuckled. Uryu shook his head as the petite brunette amused herself by playing with bubbles.

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It was only a matter of time, he realized as he sat cross-legged on his bed with a sleek black laptop in front of him. It was only a matter of time before something else happened. He rubbed his rough jaw and the fleeting thought of shaving was there and gone.

It just didn't fit. With the war in Iraq over and Iran at bay it would seem that all was quiet otherwise. There was the fighting in Africa, but that had always been there. The riots in the Gaza Strip but those were starting to calm with diplomatic relations and American military forces deployed there. It would seem that all was to be liked… but to a former POW with a sense for calamity it seemed like the calm before the storm. It was putting his finger on the problem that bothered him.

He had always been a hard worker, from doing homework to household chores he had always done his part, though he occasionally got into fights they were never at school and never serious enough to get him arrested. When he had entered the military it seemed that the opportunities were never ending. He could do anything he wanted… anything that seemed possible to him he could try.

He lost himself for a moment, thinking back over his life and the things he had done. It seemed that he was trying to take something from his memory, anything to lead him in the right direction.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A soft voice spoke from the corner. Suddenly he remembered, he had called one of his secretaries in to do him a favor. But what was the favor he had wanted?

"Oh… Momo, sorry I…" Don't say forgot you were here… "Forgot you were there…" IDIOT!

"It's quite alright you looked pretty intense." Momo smiled. She was small and quiet but good at her job and quick to catch on. "Is there something you wanted, sir?" Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't remember now.

"I'm afraid I called you for nothing I've forgotten," he gave her an apologetic shrug.

"It's quite alright, sir, I shall see you in the morning." She turned and stepped out of the room. It occurred to him that the only way he was going to get to sleep was either by brute force or a good dose of whiskey. So the latter sounded better to him than anything else.

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"Mr. President?" She sat up in her bed. He stood in her doorway, leaning those beautiful biceps against the doorframe.

"Rukia…" he purred and walked towards her, his amber eyes dark and illustrious.

"Yes…" she blinked and suddenly she was pushed against her bed sheets, their lips clashing furiously. She dug her fingers into his hair. Christ his flavor exploded behind her eyelids as his hands chased their way up under her t-shirt. "Mr. President?" She questioned and he sat up slightly.

"Ichigo Rukia, call me Ichigo…" He leaned back down and deepened the kiss. Her blood boiled as he bit her neck teasingly, running his tongue over her hyoid and sucking somewhere between flicking and nibbling.

"Ichigo…" her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Rukia…" He mumbled. "Rukia…" she felt her body tremble. "RUKIA!" She sat up in her bed so fast she clocked heads with the person above her.

"WHAT? WHO!" She swung out into the darkness, her head splitting.

"Damn!" The one she had hit cursed from the floor. A very muscular form was curled in a ball on the floor next to her bed with his head between his knees. "Fuckin' hard head…" he hissed. "Damn woman… guy's gotta wear a damn helmet…"

"Mr. uhm Mr. President?" Christ what on god's good earth had she been dreaming about? "What's going on?"

&

He strutted off the plane like a banny rooster that had just won its first fight. He waved to the cameras, grinning as they walked towards the woman at the other end of the tarmac. He extended a hand and took the wrinkled grip offered and kissed the Queen's cheek.

"It is very pleasant to meet your acquaintance Mr. President, I have heard many things about you from your cohorts…" Queen Elizabeth patted his hand gently then guided him towards the Royal motorcade, talking the while.

"I was nearly trembling myself to meet such a woman of power…" Ichigo grinned genially, sliding a hand above his sunglassed eyes. Elizabeth nodded her head wisely and ducked into the car with Ichigo's help as he stepped in after her. Rukia and Renji checked the perimeter and stepped into their own cars.

"So what is this that you are wanting to speak with the courts about?" Elizabeth glanced at him slyly.

"I have a worry about some outlying enemies that we have yet to foresee…" Ichigo cast his eyes towards her.

"Is that why you have proposed this summit then?"

"Of course… why else would I?" He chuckled. "You are very wise madame…"