Suna no Onna
The first time he saw her, he didn't think anything of her. It was quite possible that he didn't really notice her at all. There were more important matters, like the fights going on beneath them or the clouds in the sky or what he was going to have for lunch today. And she was just a girl…
He noticed her soon enough, though. The next few times they met he was afraid of her. She appeared to be strong and scary, and he wanted to avoid her as much as he could. Sadly though, she was placed as his opponent.
And he quickly learned she was not what she looked like. A woman, yes, but a smart one. She was not as smart as him though, but of course, no one was. He had still trouble defeating her, and he was surprised by her persistence. This girl wanted to win, no matter what, and she fought with fire in her heart. So he let her win. Why not? It was not like he cared about victory anyways, and no one could say he hadn't done his best.
The fights were long over, but he couldn't forget about her. She kept playing through his mind, always present in the back of his head, never fully leaving his thoughts. He'd never cared about girls, but she was different. She was nothing like the pale, skinny annoyances from his village. No, she was a real woman, with a well-rounded body and sun-kissed skin, golden hair and a strong spirit. He'd known that his idea of life (do your job sufficiently, marry an average girl, have kids, retire, play board games and die as an old man) was inaccessible from the start. He was too good of a warrior for that, his strategies were undoubtedly the best so the leaders wouldn't let him do some unnoticed job. Because of that he would most likely not die as an old man, he would be killed in action, protecting his village and friends. But now he didn't regret it. Protecting the village was his job and it was too important not to do your best for. And about marrying an average wife, well, he didn't even want an average wife anymore. He wanted a woman like her, a woman from the desert.
She came to assist him in battle, and blew away his opponent in one strike. She may not be very good at board games, but she was strong and intelligent and witty, and he discovered she cared about others. But the most important was that he knew she had noticed him. She came with him even though there wasn't need for, he didn't ask her. She wanted to come, because of him.
It made him wonder. What would a woman like her –a real, true woman with curves and a strong will- see in a guy like him? He wasn't handsome, funny or anything the girls from his village liked. He was unpopular. The only thing that may be in his advantage was his intelligence, but with his sexist remarks he had scared all girls away long ago. But then again, he hadn't minded at that time.
This woman, this beautiful creature, showed interest in him. She knew how to handle the life of a warrior. She came from a harsh culture, a small village surrounded by nothing but sand, sand, sand. Her family was strict, but not completely intolerant. They had a chance. He visited her village some times, and was always impressed by the sand. It had the same color as her hair. He wondered about that, how her hair could be like sand and her eyes like water. She was many things in one, but mostly she was this: a woman from the Sand. And he knew he would never want anyone but her.
Suna no Onna: Woman of the Sand. I guess it's pretty obvious who that is XD
Did you notice? The first letters of the alinea's say "that's it". I didn't even intend that!