Chapter 2
Naruto ran for only a few minutes before he sensed someone approaching quickly. He was maybe a mile and a half from the dense population that he had sensed earlier, but he got the feeling that he needed to focus on the approaching person instead.
His eyes widened as mist seemed to gather together a dozen yards before him and take the form of a man that seemed intent on covering his entire body in clothes. He even wore a mask somewhat similar to Kakashi's that covered the lower half of his face and a bandana with a plain forehead protector on it that covered up his hair. He also had five staves on his back with a variety of different ends on them.
"There's no mistaking it," the man said as he removed one of the staves from his back. It appeared to have a fan on the end of it. "You are the one that passed through the Anima. Who are you?"
"I should be asking you that," Naruto said as he maintained a calm stance. Truthfully, he was just trying to stand still so that he could draw in some more natural energy. If he had to fight the man, he did not want his Sage Mode to end prematurely.
Something did not add up though. The blank forehead protector on the man's bandana was highly irregular. The lack of a scratch across it and a black cloak with red clouds on it made it clear that he was not from the Akatsuki. Of course, him being in a different dimension and not knowing who Naruto was were even greater indications that he was not from that group.
"Just answer the question," the man said firmly. "I would prefer that I don't have to fight you, but if you passed through the Anima, I need answers."
"Anima… is that what you call that vortex that sucked me up?" Naruto asked with a frown.
The man seemed to be caught off guard by the question, but he nodded in response. Naruto got the distinct impression that he was confused.
"Naruto, if he knows about the vortex, then it might be for the best that you tell him what happened," Katsuyu whispered.
"Right," Naruto mumbled. "That thing… the Anima, you called it… it sucked me up in it and dropped me out of the sky. Is there any way to get back?"
"Are you from Edolas?" the man asked cautiously.
"Never heard of it before in my life," Naruto responded. "I'm from the Land of Fire… the Hidden Leaf Village, to be exact. It's in the Elemental Nations. Ever heard of it?"
"No," the man said in a tone that gave him the distinct impression that the man was frowning beneath the mask. "If you are not from Edolas or Earthland, then it is unlikely that you can return home. They are parallel dimensions, which is the only reason that it is possible to pass between them with only the level of difficult that already exists. But this Elemental Nations has to be a completely different world. The fact that you are in Earthland instead of Edolas hints at the difficulty, if not impossibility, of safely traveling returning to your world. The only machine that generates Anima is in Edolas, which means that you were supposed to be brought there instead of Earthland. If you landed in a dimension parallel to the one you were supposed to arrive in, then that means that any attempt to return would likely result in you landing in a dimension parallel to your world… or even into a void between dimensions. That would be a fate worse than death."
Naruto just looked at the man flatly, not understanding what he was saying.
"Simply put, you cannot return to our world the way you arrived. You were supposed to land in the world that is parallel to this one, so the risks involved in returning the same way are too great to even consider," Katsuyu explained. "Perhaps there is another way."
The man stared at the talking slug for a moment before speaking. "To my knowledge, Anima is the only way to move between dimensions. If there is anyone that knows of a way or can point you to someone that may know of a way, then that person is Makarov Dreyar. He is the Master of Fairy Tail and is in the city not too far from us."
"Fairy Tail?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Fairy Tail is a mage guild," the man answered.
"Mage? As in magic? There's magic in this world?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Yes," the man said in surprise. "Is there not magic in your world?"
"No, but we have something kind of like it, I guess," Naruto said as he held his hand out and began to form a Rasengan. It was not a complete Rasengan due to the fact that he only used one hand to create it, but it mostly looked complete. In Sage Mode, it was likely stroke enough to match a normal complete Rasengan.
"Interesting," the man said. "Well, about ten percent of the population of Earthland has the ability to use magic, though anyone from this world has the potential to use magic. Most just lack the aptitude."
"How does a mage guild work, exactly?" Katsuyu asked, getting the suspicion that Naruto would not ask the question.
"Mage guilds are simply guilds that mages join for the sake of organization. They enable mages to more easily obtain jobs, which can be anything from essentially completing chores to slaying demons that are terrorizing people," the man said patiently. He was saw no reason to be rude, and they did deserve some answers. "There are actually two different types of guilds: legal and dark. Legal guilds operate under the laws set forth by the Magic Council, which governs all of the mages on the continent. Dark guilds do not operate under those laws and often carry out illegal jobs, such as performing assassinations."
Naruto and Katsuyu both saw the need to keep that information in mind, especially the part about assassinations. It made it clear that they were in a world that would react harshly to killing.
"But I need to be on the move. I have work to do. To that end, I would appreciate it if the content of this conversation was kept secret. If I had not seen a figure falling out of an Anima, then I would not have even spoken of this to you. If you are unable to keep it a complete secret, I would prefer that you only speak of it to Makarov."
"Sure thing," Naruto said as he cut off the chakra to the Rasengan. "What's your name, by the way?"
"I am Mystogan," the man said as he turned around. "I must be going now. I wish you luck in finding a way back home. I suggest that you do not try to go to Edolas though. You will not find the answers you are looking for there."
"I guess I'll have to believe you on that. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, by the way," Naruto said.
Before he even finished speaking, Mystogan turned into mist and disappeared.
"Not very talkative," Naruto muttered. "Once you see Granny Tsunade, you might want to tell her about that though. If this Makarov guy can't help me find a way back home, then it looks like I'll have to wait for someone in our world to find a way to bring me back."
"I will make sure to tell her," Katsuyu said. "It was fortunate that we encountered that man before I ran out of chakra. Otherwise, I would have been unable to deliver the news. I trust that you will continue to try to find a way home, even after I dispel?"
"Yeah, I don't plan on giving up," Naruto said with a firm nod. "Now, let's get to town and try to find this Makarov guy. I might be able to find something else out before you dispel. The more I find out, the easier it'll be for them to get me home, right?"
"That is correct. Keep a positive attitude," Katsuyu said. Truthfully, the slug was nowhere nearly as optimistic as Naruto. After all, a successful rescue of someone that had been sent to another dimension was not something that she had even heard of before.
It did not take long for Naruto to reach Magnolia and then to find his way to Fairy Tail. He had been unable to sustain Sage Mode after he reached the city, but it had not mattered, really. After all, Mystogan had made Fairy Tail seem kind of like a small ninja village but without the more ninja-ish traits.
Truthfully, he was running off of little more than fumes. He had been fighting Pain half an hour ago and had used the Kyubi's chakra and Sage Mode a number of times. As a result, he was exhausted and likely would have collapsed already if not for his sheer willpower.
Even so, Naruto had taken the time to take note of his surroundings as he made his way through the city.
He would not say that their technology was superior to what they had back home, but the two were certainly different. It seems like each world was more advanced in certain areas but less advanced in other areas. It was hard for him to describe it though.
The guild hall that Fairy Tail called home was not the most stunning place that Naruto had ever seen, but it definitely looked nice. He especially liked the orange doors and the orange window frames. The gold-colored sign above the door with the name of the guild in blue between two gold fairies that had tails was another nice touch.
He opened one of the doors and entered the guild hall, not sure what to expect on the other side.
What he found looked more like a large bar with rectangular tables spread out than a guild hall. Still he was sure that he was at the right place.
Looking around, Naruto's first impression was that he had died and gone to Jiraiya's version of heaven. There were at least thirty girls in the room, and at least two-thirds of them looked like they were smuggling cantaloupes underneath their shirts.
Upon seeing a specific girl at the bar, he had to amend that thought. They clearly were not smuggling anything under their shirts.
After all, not all of the girls wore shirts, apparently. The one at the bar was either wearing nothing above her waist but a bra or a bikini top. They generally showed the same amount of skin, so it really did not matter which one it was to the average male.
A girl with long white hair and bright blue eyes that wore maroon dress adorned with a pink bow and ribbons began to make her way toward him at that point. Out of all the girls in the room, he suspected that she was the most well developed one. She was not simply attractive though. There seemed to be something about her that simply brightened the room around her.
"Hello," she said cheerfully. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I was hoping to talk to Makarov about something," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't know what he looks like though, so could you tell me if he's around?"
"He's sitting on the bar," she said, pointing to a short elderly man that was sitting on top of the bar. He seemed to be staring at Naruto intently.
"Come with me, and we can speak in private," Makarov said as he jumped off of the bar and began to make his way to the basement.
"Nice meeting you," Naruto said, waving at the girl that had greeted him as he made his way down to the basement.
Once Naruto was in the basement and the door was shut, Makarov stared at Naruto again for a moment.
"What is it that you needed to speak with me about?" he asked.
"I met someone on the road that said you might be able to help me. His name was Mystogan," Naruto said. He could tell that he had sparked the mage's attention at that. "I was sucked up by this vortex in the sky. He called it an Anima. I was wondering if you knew of a way to get back home."
"That is most irregular," Makarov said with a frown. "You are not from Earthland or Edolas, are you? If you were from Earthland, you could just travel back to your home. And if you were from Edolas, you would not have needed to hear the name Anima from Mystogan. Am I correct so far?"
Makarov frowned slightly after he finished speaking. He had suspected that Mystogan was from Edolas, but practically hearing it confirmed and learning that he had at least headed towards the Anima the boy before him had appeared through… it was quite unexpected. He simply did not know what to make of it.
"That's right," Naruto said with a nod. "I'm from a place called the Elemental Nations. Have you heard of it?"
"No, I can't say that I have," Makarov said as he closed his eyes. "I have never heard of any worlds other than Earthland and Edolas. Before this, I had never believed that there were any other worlds out there."
"So you don't know how I can get back," Naruto said with a sigh. "Mystogan said something like that too. He said that the Anima brought me here instead of Edolas, so I'd probably die or something if I tried to get back the same way."
"I would trust in Mystogan's words then," Makarov said grimly. "I can understand that you may wish to return home badly, but it would be a bad idea to be reckless about it."
"I'll be careful," Naruto said. "But do you know of anyone else who might know of a way back?"
"Hmm… there is one person that might be able to help, but it's a long shot," Makarov said thoughtfully. "I have a friend on the Magic Council. If you were to approach him and tell him that I sent you, he should be able to discretely see if the Magic Council has any information on other worlds. You may have to tell him about your situation, but he is trustworthy."
"Great!" Naruto exclaimed. "How do I find him?"
"I'll answer your question in a few days," Makarov said, making Naruto stop in his tracks. "I would not mind helping someone who is stranded in a dimension that is not their own. However, simply letting you leave as you are would be a bad idea. You need to at least know some basic knowledge about this world before you leave. It will enable you to fit in better. Once I am satisfied that you can at least appear to fit in, I will tell you exactly where you can find him. Is that acceptable to you?"
Naruto only had to think about it for a moment. Approaching his situation like a mission, he had to admit that it would not very bright to just keep rushing into everything without getting some information. He could not be rash about something like this. Plus, Makarov did say that the only lead he had was a long shot, so having to wait a few days did not sound that bad.
"Okay, I'll stay until then," Naruto said. He frowned when a thought occurred to him though. "I don't have any money from this world though, so I'm not sure how I can pay for my food or anything."
"Don't worry about it," Makarov said with a chuckle. "You'll be a guest until you leave, so we'll take care of everything. But first, what is your name?"
"Oh, I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said with a bright smile. "I don't suppose you have a bed down here I can go to sleep on, do you? I'm pretty exhausted."
Makarov immediately moved to a nearby closet and removed a cot and a pillow from it. "It's not quite a bed, but it is better than nothing."
"Thanks," Naruto said as Makarov set the cot up for him.
"I will inform the guild that you are a guest. When you wake up, I'll introduce you to everyone," Makarov said as he headed for the stairs. "I won't tell anyone about your situation either. I'll simply say that you're a personal guest of mine and are from a distance land. It's true and should keep most of the members off of your back. They can be quite nosey at times."
Naruto chuckled as the old mage left the basement.
"Good luck," Katsuyu said as she suddenly crawled out of Naruto's jacket. "I'll tell Lady Tsunade everything the moment that I can."
With that, she began to disappear.
Naruto was already asleep when she spoke, however, preventing him from hearing her parting words.
Naruto groggily opened his eyes and immediately saw that someone had just walked into the basement. Wiping his eyes, he saw that it was the same person that had greeting him when he arrived at the guild hall.
"Oh, it looks like you're finally awake," she said with a smile. "Master just asked me to check on you. He figured that you would sleep for a few hours, but you ended up sleeping through the evening and night. It's morning now."
"Seriously?" Naruto asked as he sat up, feeling surprised. It had been a while since he had slept that long. In fact, he could not remember ever sleeping quite that long. He did go into his eight tailed state, use Sage Mode a few times against Pain, get sucked through an interdimensional vortex, and use Sage Mode for over five minutes after arriving in this new world. The combined exhaustion from all of those events could not be ignored.
"Yes, you must have been quite exhausted. But now that you're up, you can come upstairs. Breakfast is about to be served," she said with a kind smile. "I'm Mirajane, by the way. Master told us that you are from far away and will be staying as a guest for a few days. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Thanks," Naruto said with a grin as he rose to his feet. He quickly began to follow Mirajane as she headed up the stairs.
Upon arriving upstairs, Naruto saw that only about a dozen people were present. A single glance through the windows told him that the sun had risen only an hour or two ago though, so that was understandable.
"Hello Naruto, how did you sleep?" Makarov asked as the shinobi sat down at the bar.
"It went well," Naruto answered. "By the way, what day is it today? I kind of lost track of time."
"It's the fifteen of January," Makarov answered casually.
Naruto frowned for a moment at that. He had fought Pain in October. That meant that the two worlds were more different than he had thought.
"By the way, this is Cana Alberona," Makarov said, gesturing to the girl that was sitting a few seats down the bar from him. Naruto recognized her as the girl from the bar that he saw when he arrived at the guild hall. "You'll probably see her more than most."
"Nice to meet you," she said with a smile.
"Same here," Naruto said with a smile of his own.
"She can introduce you to some of the other members around your age," Makarov said.
Naruto nodded, unsure of what else he could do. He was not too pleased that he was being introduced to more people instead of learning about the world so he could try to find a way home, but his only options was to go with the flow, so to speak.
A/N- The ending was a bit abrupt, but I just couldn't seem to end it quite right.
Anyways, I appreciate the reviews that I received for the last chapter. It seemed most of the people had input on the pairing at the very least. I'm not making that decision too early, but it's still appreciated. I won't be pairing Naruto with more than one girl though. I could not write such a pairing. It's simply beyond my current abilities.
This is the last chapter I have written, so I have some more writing to do before I can post again. Until then, have fun.