Summary: She wonders which of them will find all the scattered pieces of her heart.

A Handful of Stars

The sound of rushing water is the only noise in the silent night. Hyuuga Hinata swishes her fingers through black velvet water and a glowing white moon ripples at her touch. Glittering diamond stars reflect on the river and light up the serene forest. The night is calm, quiet, perfect and Hinata smiles and lies down on the bank, her fingers tracing patterns in the warm water. She breathes in the lovely night air and closes her eyes, listening to the lapping water against the smooth stones.

Crack

She is not concerned, instead she slowly turns her head and blinks open her eyes, to see a shadowy figure stepping lightly towards her. Her eyes outline his body as he grows closer, finally bathed in white starlight.

"Naruto-kun..." Her voice is as soft as an angel's breath and he smiles warmly at the sound of his name. He continues forward until he is at her side and then he slowly kneels down. Warm fingers thread through her hair and she watches him, eyes shining. He looks pensive, staring far off into the distance.

"It was you, wasn't it? That beautiful girl I saw dancing on the river?" Her chest warms and she smiles in answer. Eyes bluer than the sky focus on her face and he sees her smile and grins. She sits up and he takes her hands in his and she's never felt safer in her entire life.

"You love me." His voice is like liquid silk and it isn't a question but she nods anyway. His smile is so radiant it's like gazing into the sun.

"Hinata..." And when he whispers her name, shivers run down her spine. He leans towards her and she feels her heart race and she flutters her eyes closed, knowing her life is about to change.

And then pain.

Something sharp digs into her scalp, yanking furiously at her hair, dragging her backwards into water as cold as ice. She lands with a splash, water rippling in all directions and she flounders around, desperate for air. But as she tries to reach for the surface, something digs into her ankles pulling her down into frosted black depths. She kicks with all her strength but her captor holds firm. Bubbles erupt from her mouth and she turns her head up, searching for salvation.

Leaning towards her, but still on the other side of the coursing river, she sees Naruto's cerulean eyes. He smiles and she tries to scream for his help but no sound leaves her throat. Beside him Kiba smiles at her and mouths words she can't hear. Shino's sunglasses reflect the moon and even though she's underwater she can feel tears on her cheeks. Sasuke looks at her, midnight eyes sucking her in and she's never felt colder.

She struggles as hard as she can but clammy fingers wrap around her legs and arms and neck and drag her down, down, down. The stars extinguish and the moon is snuffed out. She's plunged into darkness and her lungs are bursting, demanding oxygen. She closes her eyes, body shivering and resigns herself to drowning.

And then life.

Soft and warm, something brushes her cheek and her eyes open to see burning gas lamps watching her. Blonde hair flows around her and then strong hands pull her up, light fills her vision and then they burst through the surface and oxygen fills her tired lungs and she feels like she's sucking on knives but she doesn't even care.

"You're safe now." Ino's voice is like a lullaby as she clasps Hinata's hands between her own. Hinata is still desperately sucking on air and Ino smiles so kindly it breaks her heart.

"I'll do anything for you. For my girls...Anything at all." And then Ino's descending into the river and pale hands grasp at her dress, dragging her to death and Hinata can't move to save her. She disappears below the surface and there's no screaming, no thrashing, just sad eyes and a resigned smile. Hinata's chest constricts but her feet are rooted to the ground as she coughs and splutters, water dripping from every inch of her.

There are tears in her eyes and cherry blossoms fill her nose and she turns in their direction. The boys are still standing there, all four lined up, so, so achingly different. Naruto is still sunshine bright and wearing a smile that warms her straight to her toes, Kiba is strong and safe, a grin that promises nothing will ever hurt her, Shino is softer and understated but still it's there, that feeling of belonging. And finally there's Sasuke, cool and hard, eyes like nightmares and face like marble. They each hold out a hand and she reaches for Naruto, her heart pulling her towards him, just as it always has. But then the cherry blossoms are stronger and Sakura is there and Hinata watches as she wraps herself around Naruto. It hurts like a punch to the gut and Sakura's face is sympathetic and maybe that hurts worse.

"I never wanted to hurt you. But I couldn't let myself drown, could I?" The water slaps against the bank and Ino's face flashes behind her eyes. Something warm and dry drapes around Hinata's wet shoulders.

"There now, I've got you." Kiba's voice is hot in her ear and she turns to look at him. He is smiling as he wraps her in his jacket. He leans in closer, whispering into her ear, straight to her soul,"You've got a heart of purest gold; I'd hate to see him break it."

And then Shino picks her up in his arms and she casts one last look at Naruto over his shoulder. But Naruto is so far away, faint and hazy and covered in pink and it makes her head feel clogged and fuzzy. Shino carries her away and she just wants to sleep. Her eyelids droop and then close and everything fades away. Years later or maybe it was seconds, she jolts up, joints aching to see the sky painted orange and red with flames. Shadow covered people stand around her and she feels like she's sitting in a furnace as heat blows towards her. Black smoke fills her nose and she starts to cough as her eyes water and sting.

Someone dark and shimmering descends from the burning sky as fire rains down like falling stars and with a flash of silver the mystery man cuts a swath through the people around her. She is petrified and paralysed, her body motionless as she watches with wide unblinking eyes as he draws closer, slinking through the fiery night, like a spectre from under her bed.

She closes her eyes against a bright lightning flash and something hot and wet, smelling faintly of rust splashes across her face. Her eyes shoot open and she's nearly blinding by blue lightning and then she sees furnace flames licking at her dress and her fingers are sticky with blood. She stands on shaky, jell-o legs and the bodies around her suddenly have faces.

Shino's glasses are broken, the lenses are cracked and his clothes are torn, ripped, charred. His skin's been stretched and disfigured and he's leaking blood and guts and the sight makes her want to hurl. She can feel the acidic taste of vomit as it crawls up her throat but she can't look away.

"Sh-sh-shino-k-kun." She's choking as she says his name and it feels like someone's torn her heart right out of her chest. Her fingers trail along his forehead and his skin is smooth and cold like marble and she can feel gooey tears leaking out of her eyes and she's overpowered with the rusty, salty smell of blood. Kiba lies next to him, face pulled in a furious snarl and his body's been mauled almost beyond recognition, what skin she can see is singed and blackened and his blood is crusty and dry and the tears fall faster and harder mixing with bodily fluids and her feet slip and slide on the ground slick with blood and his skin is burning hot and then she sees a red haired man lying nearby and she wonders who he could be.

And then her insides stop working.

"Naruto-kun!" Sunshine hair is stained red with blood, face ripped to pieces and she falls to her knees, tears dripping onto her hands and it hurts so much, her boys, the boys she loves the most are dead and gone and she's so lonely and she wants to scream so she does.

Hinata screams until her throat is raw and then she screams some more.