This is a story that focuses on Kakashi, Sakura and the subjects of bondage and BDSM, plain and simple I'm trying to describe the two sides of the issue, the perspecitve of the sub and the dom, and I'm guessing that it's going to take some kind of deep-dive into the minds of Kakashi and Sakura sooner or later. That said, some things are easier depicted than others, but I hope you can bear with me. I'm not promising anything else than... smut. Then again, maybe that's not all bad. Just being honest.

I realized that you get tossed in to the story quite quickly, but I will explain details on the backrounds to their behaviour throughout the story. So, even if things seem a bit strange at times, they will be explained. I promise.

Main characters are Kakashi and Sakura. Major supporting characters are Ino, Naruto, Sasuke, probably Jiraya and Ibiki acting as a mindpoker. They do, however, come in a little later in the story, but I have plans for them. No worries.

Now, on to the story!

Office Ties

Sakura gave a sigh of relief as she tied the last knot around her waist. The rope pressed firmly on her skin, but she'd fitted it around her so it wouldn't limit her movement. After all, she had to go to work, and that was no place to be restrained.

She looked at herself in the mirror. The thin, pink rope with all its knots made a rough web over her body. She felt beautiful this way, safe even: In a way, it felt all too natural. When she did it to herself in this way, there was really nothing sexual about it at all, it was merely what she needed to feel good. Just a part of her.

She put her clothes on and went to stand in front of the mirror again, making sure that the small knots weren't visible through the fabric. Black jeans covered up the knots resting inwards against her thighs, but her t-shirt hinted at small bumps just over her chest, so she decided to wear a sweater over it today. Just to be on the safe side. After all, it was winter, and nobody would suspect a thing.

Though it felt so good, for a split second, she felt shame stirring in her chest. This kind of behavior couldn't be normal. What if someone found out? What if someone noticed? Maybe she should seek help for this? She shook her head slightly at her own thoughts. It was probably better if she didn't tell anyone. People had been suspended from work for less disturbing behavior.

Well, time to go to work, she figured. Good thing nobody had yet figured out what a freak she was… In her very own little way.

After lunch that same day, Sakura was sitting at her desk going through papers and medical records. Stuff that she should have sorted long ago, but she just hadn't been able to put her mind to it. She scratched herself on the shoulder, the sweater was making her itch a little.

Best as she was sitting there, there came a knock on her door. Well, wasn't that just perfect. More distractions at work. It wasn't like she had a lot of motivation to begin with... Sakura looked up over the piles of papers on her desk.

"Yes?" She answered, trying to sound polite, failing quite miserably. Thankfully, it wasn't Tsunade. White hair peeked through the door. Kakashi-sensei. Great.

"Yo, Sakura-chan." He greeted her, closing the door after him. "Do you have a minute to spare?" He gave her a warm smile, and she realized that there wouldn't be any point in answering anything else than yes.

"I might." She said, putting her pen down, leaning forward a little over her desk. "What can I help you with?" If he was going to ask her for a physical again, she'd most likely scream. He could be such a damn perv when he felt like it.

But instead of answering her, he appeared to be studying her diplomas on the wall behind her. He was a bit more distant than usual, she thought, cocking a brow at him. She threw a glance at the papers in front of her. She didn't really have time for this today.

"Was there something you wanted?" She asked again, and with that, he snapped back to life. Kakashi looked at her with his half-lidded eye. And then she painfully realized what he had been looking at. Her sweater had glided down just a little bit too much on her left shoulder. She cursed silently at her own carelessness.

"Sakura…" He started carefully, not really knowing how to say it without the situation getting any stranger than it already was. "You might want to correct your sweater." He hadn't needed to say it, she was already on it.

She felt the knot that had revealed itself, that had exposed her, and she cringed a little as she corrected her neckline. Shit. Kakashis face didn't show any emotion, and he kept his eyes steadily connected with hers. She didn't like the situation at all.

"So, what was it that you wanted?" She spoke quietly, with just a hint of detectable shame in it. His voice was very flat as he spoke.

"Well, I wanted to invite you to the release party of the new Icha-Icha movie. Naruto-kun has co-written it with Jiraya-sama." He looked away. Sakura wanted to sink through the floor at that moment. The timing was so poor.

"Okay…" She started, not really knowing what to continue the sentence with. "I guess." She said finally, not looking Kakashi in the face. "If Naruto wants me there, why not." She started refilling one of her pens with ink. Couldn't he just leave?

"Good." She heard Kakashi hum from the other side of her desk. "I'll tell him then." The chair scraped against the floor and he stood up. She still wasn't looking at him, and nearly let out a sigh of relief. On the other hand, how would she be able to face him again after he had seen what he had? At least, without her feeling the same shame rush through her body again? What was she supposed to do?

But he hadn't turned to leave yet. She put the ink down and looked up at him, only to find him looking right back down on her. His eye seemed so strange, still half-lidded, but there was definitely something in it that sought to calm her. She gulped, once again wanting to disappear from the surface of the earth. Did he pity her? The shame she felt was so strong that tears were starting to be a real threat.

"Sakura." He started, putting on of his hands on her shoulder, pushing ever so slightly at one of the knots under the black, woolen fabric. "That sweater looks beautiful on you. Don't let anyone convince you of anything else." He gave her a comforting smile, but she still felt a tear run down her cheek. Kakashis smooth fingers went up to wipe it away.

"Thank you…" She whispered, diverting her gaze. The touch of his hand on her face comforted her more than she could have guessed that it would. He let out a small sigh.

"If you ever need anyone to talk to…" He never finished the sentence. He didn't have to. Sakura nodded. "Good."

He turned to leave, and Sakura stood up to follow him out. She badly needed a cup of tea.

"Well, see you tomorrow at the cinema then." He said, turning to smile at her, like nothing had just happened back in her office. She turned her face in a mock-frown.

"I can't believe I was just talked in to seeing another Icha-Icha movie." But his smile just grew wider.

"Oh, you know you like them!" He said, turning to walk away. She shook her head and sighed at him, the guilt and shame slowly ebbing away from her mind.

As Kakashi was leaving the hospital, he wondered about the scene that had just taken place in Sakuras office. Of all the arts that he could imagine her to have mastered, the art of Kinbaku-bi* wasn't one that he would have guessed. Though clearly, she had. She was a little worse at hiding it though.

What was worse, the girl seemed to be up to her ears in shame about it, and he frowned at this fact. It was just a bit of rope, he figured. But people sure were different.

For example, his students had turned out so very different from each other. While Naruto wouldn't blink before putting his name next to Jirayas on an Icha-Icha cover, Sakura felt so ashamed that she hid herself. Maybe she even felt disgrace over that she had such feeling at all, he'd read that it wasn't all that uncommon for girls to feel that way.

He needed to go to Iruka and borrow that book from him again. When he'd had it, he hadn't bothered to read all of it, but he felt a reason to do it right this second. Nobody should have to carry that kind negative emotion around. Certainly not people he cared about. Maybe even a little too much, but he pushed the last thought from his head.

As he made his way through the old, beautiful quarters of Konoha, he thought back on Sakuras face. Beside all the negative feelings he had seen in it, he'd noticed something else as she had averted her gaze from him. He had felt something in him that wanted to respond to her, help her, and guide her. Something inside him wondered for a split second if it was really a good idea, fearing that she might reject him. But he pushed the thought away too, not wanting to recognize it either. Or the entire strangeness of the situation he was wishing for himself.

In the end, he figured that it was probably best for Sakura if he let her come to him. If he pushed, she would probably just climb further into her shell, and that would be extremely counter-productive. On the other hand, what if she didn't come to him, and only remained miserable?

He gave a small shrug, as he begun to climb the stairs of Irukas apartment building. Time would tell him what to do about that. What was that proverb again? The teacher can only open the door, the student has to decide to actually take a step in through it?

Well… Maybe he could give her a friendly push in the right direction.

*Kinbaku-bi literally means "The beauty of tight binding".

As Sakura got home that evening, she quickly kicked off her shoes and locked the door behind her. Safe at last, she thought to herself. Her knees gave in under her and she fell into a small pile, leaning her back against said front door. The day had been too long for her liking, and the incident with Kakashi had left her more than a little shaken. She had not enjoyed being found out.

As she sat there with her coat still on, she started to tremble ever so slightly. She felt her lungs and throat start to tighten up, and her breathing got heavy. Quiet tears were running down her face, striping it with mascara. Needless to say, she was having an anxiety attack. She folded herself up, pulling her legs up, knees pushing against her chest.

"Just ride it out." She said to herself, repeating the words Tsunade had said to her. "Focus your mind. Focus girl." But this time the words didn't work, and her breathing got too heavy for her to control.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there when it was finally over and she could get up to take that shower she so desperately needed. But her makeup was gone, and finally, in the peace and quiet of her own home, so was her guilt, if even only momentarily.

She rid herself of every piece of clothing before she showered, but the rope was still on her, knotted and hugging her flesh as she stepped into the hot water.

As the heat cleansed her and cleared her head, she thought of the look that Kakashi had given her earlier in the day. Like he understood her and wanted to comfort her. Like he didn't think that she was a freak.

And for a split second, she felt beautiful, just like he'd told her she was.