Boruto went in the direction Shikadai told him to go, but he couldn't find the cottage.
He retraced his steps several times. In fact, he felt as though he had searched every inch of the forest. But no matter where he looked, there were only endless trees, no signs of civilization.
Just as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, he spotted Shikadai on his way home from work. He picked up a pebble and flicked it towards him, narrowly missing his back.
"What was that," said Jiraya/Doc, looking around.
"Probably just a squirrel dropping a nut," replied Iwabee/Grumpy. "We should kill one and let Snow White cook it for dinner."
"Grumpy! That would be mean! The squirrel is just trying to eat its meal, just like we eat every day," replied Denki/Happy.
"Hm? Where's sleepy?" Asked Mitsuki/Dopey.
"Probably fell asleep somewhere," replied Grumpy. "Let's just leave him. He'll catch up."
"Now now," said Doc, "don't be like that Grumpy. Sleepy is a dwarf, just like us. We need to go find him and carry him home."
But Shikadai had already snuck over to where Boruto was and was having a secret conversation.
"You sure you didn't see it? At all?"
Boruto shook his head. "I've been looking this whole time. What should I do?"
"...Leave the horse and follow us home. But be careful... Doc's senses are sharp. If he catches you, who knows what will happen..." Shikadai yawned. "I'm going to join the others, but I'll come back outside when we make it home. Don't lose sight of me... Or I'll have to go through another annoying day of work."
"Yeah yeah," whispered Boruto. "Just hurry up before they notice."
The moment Shikadai rejoined the dwarves, Boruto used his ninja training to follow him through the shadows without a sound.
Just as the light of the sun was replaced by the light of the moon, Shikadai and the other dwarves vanished before his eyes.
He rubbed them profusely.
There was nothing.
No one.
He was alone. And he didn't even have a horse.
. . .
Sarada stared at the basket of apples on the counter. The woman tried to tempt her into taking a bite, but she insisted that it was impolite to eat one before the dwarves came home. When the woman still refused to leave, Sarada offered to cook her an apple dumping. That scared her off.
Now all that was left was to find a good hiding spot for the apples. Anywhere the dwarves frequented wouldn't do... And since she was the only one that cooked and cleaned, the cabinets under the kitchen sink were likely her best bet.
Not too long after she finished preparing dinner, the sound of whistling dwarves floated through the windows.
"Welcome back," she said, crossing her fingers behind her back. "I made you all dinner."
"Looks great Snow White, thanks!"
"Now now, don't forget! We have to wash our hands before we eat! Especially you, Sneezy," said Doc, leading the way to the bathroom.
Sarada pulled Shikadai aside. "I didn't eat the apple like you told me to. Where's Boruto?"
"...I saw him in the woods. He should be outside waiting. Come on."
They crept past the bathroom and found themselves surrounded by nothing but the chirping of crickets. Everywhere they looked, Boruto was nowhere to be seen.
Shikadai cursed under his breath. "Dang it."
"I thought you said he was here?"
"He was! I swear, he followed me here. Trust me. I want to get out of here just as much as you do... But maybe..."
"Maybe?"
"In games, you usually have to make it through mini events to trigger bigger ones. Earlier, I told Boruto about the cottage. He said he searched for it on horseback all day and couldn't find it, even though it's pretty visible from most angles once you get close... I'm wondering if you have to eat the apple for him to be able to find you."
"I don't want to die!"
"Relax," said Shikadai, "I kind of lied when I explained that to you... You won't die. But..."
"But what?"
"Well... I guess I'll let Boruto deal with that. After we're all in bed, take a bite of the apple. Hopefully Boruto can trigger the ending by calling you Snow White when he sees you..."
"...What if it doesn't work?"
His shoulders drooped as his back curled forward. "Then it'll be a pain to convince Boruto to end the story..."
Sarada narrowed her eyes. She wasn't liking the direction this story was going... But, in terms of logic and reasoning, Shikadai usually wasn't wrong. And so, when the dwarves had finished their meal and climbed the stairs for bed, she opened the cabinet.
Clutching the shiny red apple in her pale hand, she took a bite. Then she chewed. Then she swallowed.
Seconds later, her vision faded to black.
. . .
Boruto was attempting to sleep, laying on his back as he gazed up at the stars. Perhaps it was because he was older, or perhaps it was because they were in a game, but he found himself taking a strange appreciation for the nature around him. The night sky was beautiful. The chorus of crickets was comforting.
When he lay atop his bed in Konoha, the thoughts that drifted through his mind were of sleep, videogames, missions, pranks, and new limited edition burgers. But now... He found his thoughts drifting to Sarada.
Dancing with her in the previous story seemed like some distant far off dream. In fact, it really didn't even seem like her. It was, but at the same time... It wasn't.
What was with that dress? That figure? It wasn't fair. In fact, it was practically criminal. If he didn't know who her true identity, he probably wouldn't have been able to form a complete sentence, nonetheless dance with her.
Shivers went up his spine as he remembered her wrapping her arms around his neck. Especially, that. That. I don't know how I dealt with that.
Oh well. At least it's Sarada and not someone else. Any of the other girls would have been a pain to drag through these stories. But if it was with Sarada, she would forgive him for the awkward. A quick punch to the arm and it would be over. Back to normal. Easy as pie.
Or at least, it should have been. How long was it before he would be able to find the cottage? Would calling her Snow White work, or would she eat the apple... And if she did, would he have to...
He swallowed and rolled onto his side, arm tucking under his head. He missed the feeling of being able to hide behind his long bangs. Even though he was lying still, his heart started to race at the thought of imagining her as the princess he was fond of. Laying in a bed surrounded by flowers. Waiting for the kiss of awakening. And when he tried to replace the image with normal, short haired glasses Sarada to calm himself down... It only made it worse.
Curse this stupid game for putting images in my head...
But, as the crickets lulled him to sleep, his heart racing dreams turned heart wrenching as he was carried into a nightmare.
. . .
"Sorry Boruto, we did all we could... Her heart... It isn't beating."
"What do you mean?" He heaved breaths as he clutched at his chest. "What do you mean she's dead?!"
"Just say her name... We'll move onto the next level alone."
"No, I can't... I can't do that! Shikadai, we have to..."
"Boruto... She'll be fine once we get back to Konoha."
"But what if she's not?!" He reached out and grabbed her hand, but it was cold. Ice cold. And clammy. Dropping her hand, he squeezed his eyes shut. "I refuse... I can't believe she's dead!" And he bent down and kissed her.
"Boruto, you've already tried that, it won't work."
He slid his arms under her and picked her up in his arms, kissing her again. Her lips seemed to be the only part of her that still held warmth. "Sarada. Please, wake up. You have to wake up!"
But she remained sitting in the bed of flowers, still and lifeless. Just like a doll.
. . .
Boruto awoke with a gasp of air to the sun shining through the trees and into his eyes. He blinked a few times and slowly shaded his face with his forearm. "Sarada..."
In his dream, Sarada had really died from eating the stupid apple. Even when he called her Snow White, even when they moved on to the next level, even when she was transformed into the next princess, her body remained still and cold in his arms.
He dropped his arm and forced his eyes to get used to the blinding light. The animals that surrounded him slowly began to comfort his anguished heart.
Upon sitting up, they scattered back to their various homes in the woods; some diving under the ground, some running up trees, and some hiding behind bushes. The only one that stayed was a small rabbit.
He eyed it curiously, watching as it stared straight back at him with black beady gaze. "Shouldn't you be scared of me?"
But the rabbit was not scared. The rabbit was in a hurry. Boruto turned around to find his horse behind him.
His calmed heart began to race again. The rabbit was going to take him to her.
Grabbing the reigns of the horse, he followed after the small creature, his steps light and fast. Thoughts and worries swirled into his head. Had she eaten the apple? If she had, would kissing her actually wake her up?
After walking for a mere ten minutes, Boruto came to a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing was an open casket. On top of it lay a very still Sarada.
His heart panged at the sight of her laying there, her skin paler than he had ever seen it. She's not really dead... Right?
All of the other animals and dwarves were surrounding her, their heads lowered in reverence.
Stop acting like this is a funeral, gosh darn it!
The setting, the scenery, the casket... It all seemed so surreal. What if... What if he had been the one to drag her into this story and couldn't get her out?
If Shikadai hadn't appeared at his feet, he probably would have started to cry.
"What," said Shikadai, his eyebags even larger than they had been before. "Do I have something on my face?"
"...Not exactly..."
"I hope you know what you have to do," he said with another yawn. "We stayed up all night making this coffin... I just want to go back to sleep."
"Yeah yeah, I know," said Boruto, a bit of blush dusting his face. "I just hope it works."
Shikadai blinked.
"What?"
"...Nothing..."
With that, Boruto walked up to the casket. Why do I look like my dad, and you look more like you than before, wondered Boruto, eyes drifting across her pale skin. Even in a death-like sleep... Even in a blue dress... The girl he had once known as no more than a childhood friend was breathtakingly beautiful.
He swallowed, his eyes trailing to her lips. As he placed his hand next to her head on the casket to steady himself, the other presences in the clearing seemed to vanish from his field of perception. Cheeks pink, he leaned over her. Sarada... he thought, his eyes slowly drooping closed. I'm sorry... Please... wake up.
With that, he gently touched his lips to hers. A strange sensation surged through his body, making him feel hot and cold both at the same time. Tingling spread to all corners of his limbs.
When he pulled back, his heart was beating a mile a minute, adrenaline flooding through his veins. He looked at the trees. The ground. The forest surrounding her. Everywhere but her face.
When he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, he nearly jolted backwards.
But the movement belonged to Shikadai.
"Idiot."
"What?"
He looked over, watching as Shikadai's cheeks tinged pink, his eye peeking out from behind his hand. "You forgot to try calling her name first."
Boruto's face went from cotton candy to a tomato in a matter of seconds. I forgot they were all watching...
Sarada blinked her eyes open, looking around. "...Boruto? Is that... you?"
"Hm?" The moment his eyes met hers, he averted them, face reddening even further. "Ah... Yeah..."
"Why is your face so red? Where..."
He watched as she looked around. Welp. I guess I'd better say it now before she starts asking more questions... Turning towards her, he said the words that would change the level. "Snow White."
The word dissolved as everything faded into a deep emerald green color, neon lines surrounding the three.
"Congratulations. You have completed level two."