Secret No More

Chapter 16

Menma POV:

   
The two women had faces of mixed confusion and surprise on their features and the one with purple hair put the child she’d been carrying down on the ground. I could only assume that it was Boruto’s sister, Himawari. My other half-sister. She looked at me curiously as I turned away and started to pick at my bandages.
I took a glance at Mama, who must have seen me move in the corner of his eyes since he was looking at me. He frowned when he saw me pick at the bandages. I stopped.

“Naruto,” Kakashi drawled, now leaning against the wall reading one of his novels. “You need to tell them. There’s no use hiding it anymore.”

“Tell us what?” the girl with pink hair demanded, placing her hands on her hips. The one with purple hair fiddled with her fingers nervously. 

“I don’t think now is really the time for this-” Mama tried to argue.

“No Dad,” Boruto shut him down, “Now is the perfect time for this. I knew you were acting sketchy before, but this? What is happening!?”

“W-wait you noticed as well, Boruto?” The purple haired woman questioned.
   
    “What do you mean, Hinata?” The pink haired girl asked. So that’s her name. Huh. I’d never met Boruto's Mom before, but now I can see the similarities between them.

    “Well, a few days ago I went to ask Naruto if he wanted to have lunch with Hima and me,” Hinata explained, “but when I got there, Sasuke was there. So I figured he was in a meeting until I heard his voice crack and he started crying. Saying all of these strange things…”

    I glanced at Mama, confused since he never cried. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, well no. Not a ghost. I’d say he looked more like someone had killed his family in front of him. Dark I know, but that's the closest comparison I could come up with. 

    “Like what,” Sarada tilted her head. 

    “Like- Things like how, ‘I deserved better than him’ and that he hated something. And something about how Menma shouldn’t have to live in isolation just because no one could know about him. I’m sure there was more, but that’s all I heard…” She clasped her hands together.

    “Isolation?” Boruto asked. The pink haired woman looked over at Papa, who I now noticed was watching Mama with disguised concern. I don’t blame him. Mama looked ready to break down. 

    “Sasuke, do you know what’s happening?” she demanded, frustration showing at Naruto's lack of responses. Himawari quietly walked over to Mama and grabbed his hand. Mama looked down at her and gave a small, strained smile. He was still stressed.

    Papa didn’t say anything in response, he merely glanced at the woman with nothing but a stoic face. She didn’t like that.

    “Sakura-” Hinata noticed her friend's rising anger and tried to calm her, reaching for her arm.

    “You do, don’t you? Why am I surprised? You and Naruto have always been way too close to each other!” Sarada had never seen this side of her mother before. She startled backing away from the green-eyed woman, Boruto followed suit, equally as startled.

    “Sakura,” Mama said quietly, stroking Himawari's hair before leading her towards me. She gave me a kind smile. I gave a small one back. “Stop yelling. You’re scaring the children.”

    “Oh now you talk,” she scoffed, “the minute the children show the tiniest hint of fear you jump to their defense.” By now even Hinata had been taken aback, slowly backing away from Sakura. Himawari made a small whimper. She probably didn’t like listening to people fight. 
    I patted a spot next to me on the bed, offering her some comfort. She took it, gratefully climbing up onto the bed and sitting herself to my right, close to the window. She latched onto me and buried her face in my side, which startled me, but after a couple of moments I started to stroke her hair. It seemed to relax her a bit. I noticed Boruto glare at me slightly from the corner of my eye but I ignored him, focused on calming Himawari.

    “We want answers from you, Naruto! Now! Why did that boy call you Mama-” 

    “For fucks sake- Because I’m his Mom!” Mama yelled, fed up with the pink haired woman's attitude. He huffed, face turning red. Himawari peaked at them but almost immediately hid her face again. I continued stroking her hair. “Do not talk to me like that-”

    “No Sakura,” Mama continued, “you will not speak to me like that. I am your Hokage and you will treat me as such,” he lowered his voice, “Do not yell in front of my children.”

    “Or mine,” Papa added. She swerved her attention away from Mama and landed it on Papa, glaring.
   
    “Naruto,” Hinata intervened, voice quiet trying to keep what remained of the calm they had left. “I won’t force you to tell us anything you don’t want to. But please, if you could offer us an explanation I’m sure we could try our best to understand.” I saw Kakashi raise an eyebrow and the crinkle of his eye told me he was probably smirking. Probably at the irony of the outburst Sakura just had and Hinatas use of the words “OUR best to understand.” I don't blame him. I would have too if I wasn’t so scared of her.
    Mama looked over at her, and then Boruto and Sarada, before sighing in defeat and looking back at me and Himawari. I tapped Himawari on the shoulder and she looked up at me. Me and her Scooted over enough for Mama to sit on the bed with us and we snuggled up to him. Papa moved from his spot on the wall over to Kakashi, standing between him and Sarada. Boruto stood on the other side of her and Hinata stood off to the side in the far right of the room. Sakura remained in the middle.
    I guess the truth will be told.