I actually had a new reviewer last chapter! I was so happy that I decided to get a move on with this story earlier. Thank you, as always, Darth-Taisha for Betaing/Collaborating, whatever. Kakashi is here!

The King's Advisor

The rain pelted down the ground soaking Kakashi's spiky grey hair, and not sparing the monument in front of him. Even today, the place was still a testament to his old friend's heroism from so many years ago.

Obito Uchiha would be remembered. He was a distant relative to the Uchiha; the fifth in line, before he died, that is. A bubbly, bright man, who died protecting him (Kakashi), and the woman he loved (his best friend, Rin). Not a day would go by without Kakashi remembering, and honouring his sacrifice.

It really wasn't fair. It was always the best that died: Obito, his father, the late Queen. And it was always the hopeless, and the depressed that lived. Him, Prince Sasuke, King Itachi. Regardless of that, he was happy that he was alive. Being alive, he could witness so many more things that he couldn't have otherwise. And he could help the people he loved.

There weren't many. His father had committed suicide when Kakashi was a small child, and he never did find out what happened to his mother (she died when he was too young to remember her). With no relatives to look after him, Kakashi had grown up in isolation and solitude. Never to fit in with others, always alone.

Being alone, he had a lot of free time. Enough free time, that he was able to study, and be the good kid that his late parents' would have been proud of. A genius by the standards of most of the society. He rose up the ranks, and managed to get to the post he was at today, the King's advisor.

Not that King Itachi really needed any advising. His genius surpassed Kakashi's; it was a genius that only came once a century. So Kakashi's job mostly consisted of filling out all the less important paperwork that Itachi didn't get around to. He also always stopped rebellions (of jealous noblemen, usually) before they started. However, rebellions were much rarer in Itachi's rule than they were in Fukagu's rule.

Understandably Kakashi would never want to cross Itachi; the man was not a pleasant enemy. He might not be big and buff, like his friend Gai, but he was agile, and his hits commanded power. Not only that, it was as if his eyes could hypnotize the enemy – a damn scary technique.

A few years back, Kakashi had taken on apprentices to teach them self-defense, as a new project. Itachi himself had decided for his brother to be taught, as he was bound to be a target; Princess Sakura, who had been targeted beforehand, and the Jester, Naruto, because Itachi wanted to 'try new things.'

The only one who really accepted his teachings had been Sasuke. The others had given up halfway into his tutelage. But still, he could never forget his female apprentice, the beautiful Haruno Sakura.

Kakashi knew it was wrong. On many different levels: he had been her teacher, and he was a good ten years older than her. That did not stop the forbidden feelings creeping into his heart. There was no denying it; he had been in love with Haruno Sakura for a long, long time.

Kakashi had kept himself away from people. While he enjoyed reading about the wishy-washy relationships between different characters, he, himself, had never tried getting involved. It might hinder his job, and his sight. So, that was why Sakura had been his first, unattached, female relationship.

There was always Rin. She had been a mutual friend along with Obito. But with Rin, he could never quite imagine her as his, because he always imagined Obito alongside her. She was Obito's one and only love; there was no way he could forsake that. There was no way he could form an attachment to her beyond friendship.

With Sakura, there was no such barrier. Sure, she might be in love with Sasuke, but that didn't quite register in Kakashi's subconsciousness. It helped that Sasuke didn't love her back, and was obsessed with himself (actually, he had noticed that Sasuke's eyes always wandered to the Queen, but he hoped it was a phase, lest it completely destroy their family relations).

Kakashi was resigned that his would be a quiet and unnoticeable love. He would not show it off to Sakura, as it might get to her head. Besides, it was obvious that she didn't love him back, so he wouldn't pursue her until her Sasuke phase ended. If it ever ended, that is.

Sakura fancied herself 'in love' with Sasuke. Sakura was a very smart woman - Kakashi had to grudgingly give her that (he did not fall in love with a moron) when she wanted to be. But when it came to matters about Sasuke, she seemed to lose her head. Kakashi wistfully wished that that would be the case for him (for her to love him) but it was probably impossible - for she didn't even know what he looked like.

Because of his job, it was needed for him to be masked. That way, he could go undercover using his face, and no one would know who he was. He uncovered his right eye, so he could see, but other than that, the rest of his face was a mystery to all but Itachi. By using this trick, he had uncovered many people.

Many of his friends have tried to uncover his face, but all have failed. The mask used to be just or work, but now it wasn't just that - it was a comfort. To know that if anyone fell in love with him (Rin) in would not be because of his face. That was the case with Sasuke, Itachi, and many other good looking men that attracted women. He pitied those men.

Well, not Itachi. He always managed to find ways to ward away his 'fan club'. A feat to be admired (those woman were vultures.) Kakashi was slightly resentful that Sasuke had yet to manage to do that. Maybe if he did, Sakura would stop chasing him. Again, wishful thinking.

No one knew about his love for the Princess. He meant to keep it that way, even though it was quite a burden in some aspects.

It could be worse, he often reassured himself. He could be in love with Sakura, and be Naruto, the Jester, who had no chance of her ever returning his love. And even if she did, such a love was an impossible one, with all the barriers and obstacles that would come their way. Or he could be in love with the Queen (like many were) Hinata, and that would truly be a lost cause.

He admired Itachi, he really did. But while Itachi saw a lot of things, he chose to be blind, or to ignore some aspects, for example, the Queen's obvious love for Naruto, the Jester. Although... Kakashi highly doubted that she would ever cheat on Itachi. Hinata was too loyal to ever commit adultery. And, Naruto was too in love with Sakura, as mentioned above.

Kakashi saw many things that most people chose to be blind to. Maybe he wasn't as all-seeing as Neji, the Knight, but he still managed to catch a lot of things, especially the emotions of others. That was what made him such a good advisor.

An advisor really wasn't as glamorous as people made it out to be. It was a life in the shadows. A life of catching treachery and fulfilling documents, a life where one can't show one's face. But Kakashi could suppose that it suited him. He'd never really wanted to show his face, anyway.

But it really was time to go back. His clothes were already soaked, and his book was getting wet. He said his salutations, and turned to leave. His muddy footprints created a trail on the ground. It was time to go back to being what he was: A King's Advisor.

That was a slightly different style from everything else. But I liked it. :D. Yeah, Kakashi's in love with Sakura! :D! Who's in love with Sasuke, who's in love with Hinata, who's in love with Naruto, who's in love with Sakura! And it's a big love square...

Review, Review, Review.

Aurora-chan!