Chapter 4: Snow White Part 1

                                    

                                          
Now commencing Level 2. 
Sarada woke up, belly down in grass, leaves, and dirt. Raising her head wearily, she looked around to see sunlight filtering through trees. In front of her was a little white rabbit. "What happened to the castle... Where am I...?" 
The rabbit sat back on his haunches and nuzzled Sarada's face.
"Wha...?"
She sat up and eyed the animal suspiciously. Shouldn't it have been afraid? But as she righted herself, she noticed more woodland creatures gathering around her: a deer, a racoon, two chipmunks... One even climbed into her lap. 
Sarada found herself smiling as she pet the small creature. "Well hello to you too."
One squirrel ran ahead, looking over its shoulder as if motioning for her to follow. Sarada stood to her feet and found herself in yet another dress. This one was long and blue, a bit puffier at the bottom. The sleeves were short, coming off her shoulder to wrap tightly around her arms. Very elegant, but a bit difficult to maneuver in. If I have to fight, this will be a nightmare, she thought. 
And so, she bent down and made her own slit in the dress. Ripping it until the slit was halfway up the side of her thigh, she smiled. That ought to do it. Now... To figure out where I am. Level two? Are we inside of another story? 
The squirrel was urging her on. So she followed it. Over roots and through the woods, Sarada ran, frustrated that she couldn't jump from tree to tree.
After what felt like hours, she finally came to a cottage. "Is this where you were taking me?"
She talked to the squirrel as if she expected it to respond. I must be losing it. 
Entering in the cottage, Sarada took a look around. Water dripped from the faucet onto the dirty dishes in the sink. The dust seemed to have a mind of its own, dancing about on the floor like it owned the place. There was a long table with eight chairs, although one seemed less used than the others. 
At the sight of the table, Sarada's stomach growled. 
There was a fridge, but quite frankly, she was scared to open it. That is, until she felt herself becoming lightheaded.
Maybe I should eat a little something...
To her surprise, the contents of the fridge were neatly organized. Seven tiny meals were located on one shelf; seven tiny water bottles stood in the door. Well if there's seven, they won't mind if one goes missing... she thought to herself. In return, I suppose I'll do the dishes and clean the house.
Once she had eaten her fill, Sarada began working on the pile of dishes in the sink. Seven plates, seven cups, and seven forks. She began to worry. It seemed as though there really were seven people living in small house. And she had just eaten one of their meals. 
Hopefully they would forgive her.
The moment she finished cleaning, she felt herself grow tired. Eating a full meal on an empty stomach wasn't the best idea. But it was too delicious to hold back... And simply nibbling on someone else's portion of food would have been rude. 
While searching for a place to lay down, she came across a staircase. I wonder if there are seven tiny beds upstairs...
Sure enough, when Sarada made it to the top, seven beds were arranged against the wall, names inscribed on each of them. 
Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful. What odd names, she thought, running her finger along the wood. I suppose I shouldn't take Sleepy's bed... And Grumpy would likely get mad at me. Sneezy sounds gross. Bashful seems like he wouldn't complain... But Happy would probably be Happy no matter what. I'll take his bed. 
The moment Sarada's head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep. 
.  .  .
Shikadai returned home, along with his six new siblings. What a pain, he thought, hanging up his hat by the door. 
"Hm? Sleepy, did you actually do the dishes?" 
Shikadai stared at the clean sink. In this story, his name was Sleepy. It appeared as though they were in the tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Luckily, they didn't start at the part where the queen was trying to kill Sarada. Thinking about how long it would have taken her to get there sounded like a drag and a half. 
But judging by the clean sink and the fact that he had done no such dishes, she had already made an appearance in the cottage. 
"I didn't do them. Must've been someone else," he replied, not resisting the urge to yawn. Ever since the story changed, he had been oddly... Sleepy. 
If his memory served him correctly, the only thing left was for the dwarves to discover Snow White, tell her to become the housemaid, leave her at home alone, and return to find her dead on the floor. Then Boruto would show up, find her to be the most attractive woman alive, and kiss her. Shikadai chuckled. That would be the day. 
They had danced together at the ball, but Shikadai knew all too well. Despite being in the perfect situation, Boruto wouldn't have the guts to kiss her. He was probably going to focus on trying to clear the game some other way first. 
Wandering upstairs, he imagined the feeling of sinking into a soft mattress with each labored step he took. But when he opened the door to the bedroom, Sarada was laying in Happy's bed, one leg almost completely out of her torn dress. 
He sighed. Women are such a pain. 
Going over to her bedside, he covered her up. If the other dwarves, espcecially Bashful, saw her like that... he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. 
Once she was looking more like a princess and less like a prostitute, Shikadai laid down in his own bed and fell asleep.
.
What felt like half an hour later, he was awoken to the sound of his bretheren arguing over something. 
"She can't sleep in Happy's bed! Then where will Happy sleep?!"
"I'll sleep on the floor," said Happy, aka Denki, with a cheerful smile. "She can have my bed." 
"I don't like it," said Grumpy, aka Iwabee. "Some woman wanders in here and tries to steal our beds... Let's carry her outside and lock the door." 
"G-Grumpy," replied Bashful, aka Metal, "that's mean... We could... Maybe... Just let her sleep there? She's pretty 'n all." He blushed, looking away. 
"Someone, achoo! Needs to get her, achoo! Out of here," sniffled a young Udon. "I think I'm allergic..."
"I am indifferent to whether she stays here or not," said Dopey, aka Mitsuki, with a smile. 
"Now now, let's not be too hasty. When a young woman walks into your bed, you don't complain!" 
All of the dwarves groaned. Doc, aka Jiraya, had a big smile on his face. 
Shikadai cracked his eyes open. Crud. I forgot we had a pervert as part of our group... I recognize the others, but who even is that guy? Sarada is going to let him have it when she wakes up... Should I... Nah... Too much of a pain...
With a yawn, he rolled back over and covered his head. 
It seemed as though Sarada was waking up anyways.