A/N: ...been lurking in fandom for too long. Title prompts from 52_flavors.
Secret city of people
Flying over the sky hundreds of feet above-ground on a clay-winged bird, the view below zoomed in high definition on his scope, Deidara watches a magnificent dance in the darkness. This is the first time Deidara sees Sasori fight with his latest favorite human puppet, a masked female garbed in a crimson flowing silk robe reminiscent of flames.
She descended on an awed platoon of ninja. This angel of war seemed to grow swords of flame on her arms, setting seal tattoos written on her arms and feet aglow. One swing of her blades and a blazing fire spiral left the sudden dead scattered on a perfect arc. A tide of blood erupted around her like a splattered red wave.
Scorpion of the red sands...
The invisible chakra threads that control her make her eyes survey the fresh kill. Sasori appears beyond, not inside the protection of Hiruko.
Deidara wouldn't have known the woman wasn't human (anymore) if not for the red tattoo of a scorpion on her ankle, Sasori's trademark.
In one fast movement, the puppet disappears from sight in a cloud of smoke as Sasori closes the scroll. He looks up at Deidara.
A year ago, she was an oracle of the Fire temple, guarding sacred and ancient secret techniques. How Hiruko was destroyed so easily made her another favorite in the Master's collection. It took almost a year for her to be finalized into this fighting version. Sasori's deep into studying and practicing all the techniques he had stolen, all that the warrior could do.
Deidara's clay bird flies down. "Wonderful, isn't she, Master?" A wing descends next to Sasori's feet and he steps up behind Deidara and sits. The bird ascends, and soon the wind is blowing over them and stars as innumerable as sand seemed to surround them.
"We will reach the Wind country by morning, Sasori-danna."
Wind blows through his red hair and closes his eyes, and wraps the cloak tighter around himself – even if he could not sleep or dream, even if he could not feel the cold.
~oOo~