Author's note: I had another chapter written here before, but it was completely OOC and all wrong... so here's the new chapter. Very short, I know. Sorry.
Thanks to makura_moderski for all the helpful comments. Seriously, I forget details sometimes and it's nice to have someone who will remind me.
Chapter 10: Remorse
Well, I almost reached for her and did the most impulsive thing I had ever done in my life… until I realized what a terrible idea it would be. If I had kissed her then, it would have been all wrong. It would have been rushed and insincere. I was far too confused to allow myself that kind of rash behavior. Instead, I could only stand there, feeling like an utter cad as she walked away.
"Why must I ruin everything?" I asked the empty street.
In just a few fleeting moments, I had broken Tenten's heart. She had confessed her love for me, and my first reaction was to pawn her off onto Neji so I could keep pursuing Sakura. I could not take off the blinders and be a friend to her when she needed me.
All I wanted to do at that moment was run. I circled the village for hours, turning the afternoon's events over and over in my head.