Opposites attract. Shikamaru had heard that old saying quite a few times already. But how did that work exactly? It seems as if two completely different people got together, than there would be no grounds where they were the same, and arguments would happen often and eventually lead to separating. Or maybe, the differences would balance each other, and be a perfect combination. Either way, he had never put too much thought into it. At least, that is until the blonde sand nin came for the chuunin exams. She was from a rival village, was too loud and altogether, much too troublesome. However, she also was smart, and a strong kunoichi with a good attack and defense strategy. But why was he thinking of her anyway? It wasn't like she would come back to the village, and even if she did, why should he care? It's not like he knew her or something, or was her friend. So it didn't matter anyways…
And then Temari came back. He heard that her brother Gaara had become Kazekage and there was a new alliance with the leaf village, which had apparently led to her coming as ambassador for the next chuunin exams. And ironically enough, he seemed he was chosen to be her escort. While he was showing her around, that idiot Naruto thought they were on a date. Was that what it looked like? No, probably just Naruto jumping to conclusions without thinking. But why did he almost want it to be a date? Then again, maybe he was just imagining things. He didn't like Temari… did he? Even if he did, she would never like him back, and it would never work out. She was sand, he was leaf, she was outgoing, loud, and he was lazy and liked watching clouds. There was no possibility.
Years later, Shikamaru hadn't gone out with anyone. People wondered and even asked him why, but he didn't answer them, not even one had really interested him like Temari had. But then the sand sent an urgent message. Temari had gone missing along the border of the rain village on a relatively simple infiltration mission. The group they had sent to find her had been killed, and it looked likely that Temari was dead as well. Shikamaru felt his heart freeze and time seemed to stop for a minute. Before he even thought about it, he volunteered to go along on a rescue mission, despite the odd looks he got from the people who knew him and his infamous claims of things being 'too troublesome'. When they found Temari, beaten and tortured to try and get secrets from her, Shikamaru was the one who helped take her back to the sand village, and when she was conscious enough to think clearly, he asked her to go with him. She gave him a smile and told him, "Idiot, of course I will. Took you long enough."
Opposites do attract, they were living proof.