Title: Fifth Subordinate

Author: Sekiseishi

Rating: T

Pairing: Hatake Kakashi x Umino Iruka

Theme: Second Fiddle

c. Masashi Kishimoto

A/N: Since I was a retard and didn't do it in the last chapter, I should do it now. ahem Thanks to both EoS and MeeLee for reviewing and I offer them both this chapter and the previous chapter and appreciation. Anymore that I write today will also be for them, so yay!

The best the Konohagakure had to offer by way of shinobi came in two forms. Boisterous, loving, pedophile (with all his love for youth and whatnot) known as the Green Beast of Konoha. The second form was a little less enthusiastic, quiet, child-/tolerating/, aloof man known as Sharingan no Kakashi.

A shinobi village is only as good as it's shinobi (not counting missing nins) and Konoha produced the best in the history of all the villages (even if it was only about sixty years old). The Akimich Clan, the Yamanakas, the Naras, the Aburames, not to mention the Hokages that lead the village towards prosperity. However, none were so famous as the legendary Sannin, the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans, Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi, and, most infamous and arguably the strongest man ever to have been alive: Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi's father.

Iruka sighed as he watched his lover through the window of his classroom. Kakashi, oblivious to his stare and the stares of all passing villagers, continued reading his book. A cook book instead of one of his infamous Icha Icha books. They had retrieved it on a shopping trip the day before when the jounin had shown particular interest in it and Iruka couldn't say 'no' when Kakashi turned his begging puppy-eyes on him.

Afterwards, Kakashi had asked the strangest question Iruka had possibly ever heard: 'Hey, Iruka-sensei? Why doesn't anyone gossip about you like they do about me?'

Iruka never wondered why there weren't any rumors about him. He'd never wondered why people didn't ask about his past, or where he got his scar, or why he became a teacher when he showed so much potential to become a Jounin. He never wondered because he knew.

Hatake Kakashi was famous not only because of his mask, his one visible eye, his heritage, or his one-thousand jutsu copy tally. Kakashi was strong. Everyone knew about Kakashi because he was, arguably, the strongest person in the village besides the Sannin. Hatake Kakashi was also a genius, although Iruka was potentially more intelligent than the other than he would openly admit. Everybody knew Kakashi, but the didn't /know/ him, which was what made him take the brunt of the attack in the grapevine.

Iruka, however, ... Iruka wasn't strong. He wasn't famous for his valiant efforts, or even infamous for his mischief-making ways as a youth. He kept his intelligence hidden whenever possible and opted to play cute and innocent. His strength, although above average, wasn't used very often and he spent his days in the Missions Office or the Academy. Iruka was an Average Joe in the eyes of the other shinobi, and he liked it that way. No one gossiped about him as he passed, no one would stare at him when he was fishing or talking with a student, no one murmured when he went out to dinner, they didn't crowd when he was drinking, and they most certainly didn't peep into his window to try and catch a glimpse of his face.

All-in-all, Iruka played second fiddle to Kakashi, in more ways than one, but that was just the way he liked it.

A/N: This one ended strangely. I think I had some purpose to it in the beginning, but it kinda died along the way. The carcass was too heavy for me to carry back, so I left it where it lay

I'll try and write a better one for you two! Just wait for it!