He jumped. The trees flew by in a blur of monotonous green. As chief strategist for Konoha, he had seen his fair share of battles, and was fortunate enough to have won most of them. But now he was attempting to win a different kind of battle, one where the tide was against him. His quarry was her heart, his enemy her clever mind and the stone walls she had built around herself. His friends laughed and made fun of him. He could see where they were coming from.
She was cold and cruel. For instance, the last time the rookie 9 and team Guy had a get together she was invited. It was winter, but we were meeting near a waterfall, something about the place where Naruto had realized his true love for Hinata, the sappy kid. Since she was in town on business, he invited her to join them, and she accepted. So they get there, they're all having fun, and the party drags on until the sun starts to set. He's standing a bit away from the group watching said sun, when he suddenly finds himself in the water. Specifically blown into the water. Spluttering, he comes out of the water, only to see her bent over laughing at him. He thought he'd be angry, but the sight of her smiling face turned his frown upside-down. Eugh. Now he was being all cliché.
He remembered the time he first told her about his dream. An average wife, two kids (first a son then a girl), son would be successful, girl would be married, he would die first. The end. She laughed at him. Hard. As in collapsed on the ground shaking and rolling around in a very undignified manner hard. Of course he scowled in response. She still laughed at it regularly, at least once every visit (if only she visited more often). He never told her that his dream had changed. He didn't care about the wife, kids, any of it. Now his dream was only that of hearing her laugh every day.
Her laughter was as cruel and scathing as her actions, but he didn't want anyone else.
On top of her laughter was her attitude. It was her, she was attitude impersonated in the form of a deadly 25 year old. Ino once complained to him that Temari couldn't do anything, help someone out, pass on a message, keep a secret, without demanding something in return. The reason she was complaining was because apparently she had told Temari about some 'super secret crush' she had on another shinobi. Temari asked her what she would get out of it for keeping it a secret. When Ino answered nothing, Temari smiled and walked away. Within an hour the entire village knew. But that was just who Temari was.
He had started trying to show his feelings to her. Being politer, bringing her flowers when she was in town to 'spruce up her apartment', even going so far as to treat her to lunch multiple times. He sent her letters when she was home in Suna (he wanted to change her idea of home), but he'd heard from Kankurou that as soon as she knew it was from him she tore them up. No matter what he did she ignored the thought, only demanding more and more of such treatment from him. But hey, he'd do anything for her.
He could remember all the things she'd said to him over the years. His mind was brilliant, and he tended to retain almost everything he saw or heard. But for some reason the things she said rang louder than the others, constantly reminding him of her. For a while it had driven him nuts, until he finally accepted what he felt towards her. Now he relished her constant presence in his head. Have of what she said was nasty and barbed, designed to hurt. Only she could bring down his entire mood with just a sentence or two.
She was a sort of bittersweet person to love. At times she was witty and funny, then the next minute her fan would be out and he would be sitting on the floor with a new bump on his head. But he was willing to take the good with the bad. After all no one was as beautiful to his eyes as she was. No one even stood out, all paling in comparison to her. Her reasons for her actions were a mystery to him, as was so much about her and her past.
Chouji once told him that she was way too much of a woman for him to handle, especially someone as lazy and laid back as him. But there was no way he was letting her go. If she refused to love him, he would make her fall in love with him, he would do anything for her.
He had a month. The Hokage had asked him to play ambassador to Suna, and he was on his way there now. For one month he would play the most important game, he would be gambling with his life and future. He was going to get her, just the girl for him.