Standard Disclaimers: I own nothing of Naruto or its characters. This is my attempt to see how a certain pairing might work out realistically and with characters (hopefully) remaining IC even if they are stretched a little beyond what we see in the show. Let me know what you think!
Taste was a sense lodged thoroughly in the eyes of the beholder. Several encounters with other cultures, casual discussions with other like-minded men, and even the inexplicable reaction so often given to his favorite reading material, had proven that to Kakashi a long time ago.
That being said, Hikaru Fukuda's eyes must have been shallow indeed to hold so little of that undervalued commodity. If his hallways were any indication, his home was a veritable monument to ostentatious displays and tacky wealth.
From the dark wood panels dizzyingly engraved to the thick velvet curtains, the overall effect of the décor was both dreary and headache inducing. Here and there tapestries hung, chosen more for the gold-shot thread in their designs than for any meaning behind the scenes that they showed.
They weren't exactly helpful either. Their presence meant a muffling of sound that would be nearly complete given the thick rug that ran along the length of the hallway. Kakashi and Tsunade, of course, needed no such help to remain unheard but the servants or guards in the house would certainly be benefiting from it.
All in all, Kakashi had never seen a more moving argument for a traditionally decorated home in his life.
Tsunade apparently agreed with this silent assessment, given the very soft snort she gave as she looked up and down the hall. They wasted no more time in shared distaste, however, but began their search right away. Tsunade slipped into the first room silently. As she searched it for any sign of the poison, Kakashi kept watch for signs of incipient company.
And for a while everything was lost in the unique focus that Kakashi associated with any involved mission. Time did not stretch nor contract for him but instead it simply sort of morphed around his individual view of the moment. It was a helpful sort of synchronicity that meant every second was filled with awareness of his surroundings, yet there was no sense of those seconds being overwhelmed by either input or adrenaline.
It also meant that when the last room searched he already knew what their next move would be without even having to think about it.
He jerked his chin to a stairway that they'd discovered early on.
"Living quarters?" Tsunade asked as she shadowed him. He understood her doubt. Searching the bedrooms did seem to be a long-shot, after all. The office, the workshop, or even the small meditation room on this floor had all been more likely candidates to hold poison labs or incriminating notebooks. Since they had all been empty, it would not have been unreasonable to move on to the Fukuda's office in the municipal building – much as she had wanted to do from the beginning.
Kakashi had no intention of giving up yet on the house yet, though. Instead, he nodded to Tsunade and took the stairs down to the next floor two at a time. She followed him, any skepticism left absent from both her voice and body language.
This hallway was much like the one above, varying only in the fact that the doorknobs displayed were gilt and crystal instead of silver. Kakashi knew that there was a large garden on the grounds, carefully hidden away from the city and the noise by high walls. He bet that Fukuda would have the windows of his bedroom suite open up to it, despite the fact that it was not at the back of the house but to the western side.
That meant he had a good idea which room on this level was his and he ran past all others in favor of targeting that one instead.
They had almost made it to the broad double-doors when the sound of approaching voices from the stairwell required a quick change of plan. Almost in unison, the two ninja bolted for the nearest safe haven.
That happened to be an unexplored door. Tsunade reached it first and, opening it quickly, darted inside. Kakashi's gaze was fixed on the stairwell, one hand already molded into the first sign of a sleep jutsu, as he swiftly followed.
He ran straight into Tsunade.
Tsunade, in turn, was shoved hard against the shelves that she'd so narrowly avoided smacking into just a heartbeat before.
Despite the tangle of limbs, hissing of curses, and stepping on of toes, the copy-ninja's famed skill enabled him to shut the door to the exceptionally small broom-closet with a soft click, just as servants entered the hallway.
I know this is short – but I have another chapter ready for posting. I just have to re-read it. It's taking things a bit further and, as such, has me a bit anxious to quality.