Meeting the Neighbours [Card Captor Sakura/Chronicles of Narnia; English]

[laurus_nobilis]

Title: Meeting the Neighbours
Rating: G
Genre: Humour / fantasy
Characters: Kero, Polly and Clow
Summary: Kerberos goes to explore his new house... and finds himself captive of a young girl. CCS, the Chornicles of Narnia, and the odd HOLiC reference.
Notes: Written for Tsukimine Shrine's "Strange Bedfellows" challenge.


"And don't mention it to anyone else unless you find that they've had adventures of the same sort themselves. What's that? How will you know? Oh, you'll know all right. Odd things they say, even their looks will let the secret out."

C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe


Their new house had been empty for many years. That, of course, didn't mean it was haunted or anything of the like; only that they'd have to do a lot of cleaning.

Kerberos would rather have dealt with ghosts.

Even if the hard work was taken care of with magic, there were still a lot of tedious things to do. Clow, mad as he was, liked to put his things in order the slow way. So he and Yue were emptying box after box of useless stuff that nobody remembered even existed, while Kerberos wondered if he could do something other than occupy space.

"I'm bored," he groaned, annoyed by the fact that Clow's old books were getting more attention than him.

"Then do something," said Yue without looking up. "We could use some help here."

"But that's going to be even more boring!" he replied. "I don't like putting things in order. And you two always change them again, anyway."

"You have a very particular concept of 'order', Kerberos," Clow chuckled. Then he turned to his Sun Guardian and smiled. "Why don't you go to explore the attic? That should prove interesting."

It was either that or looking at them empty even more boxes. Kerberos didn't have to think twice.

* * *

At first sight, the only thing to be found in the attic was dust. It was kind of disappointing, to move into a long abandoned house and not find anything unusual. But Clow had said it would be interesting, and he was always right about those things, so Kerberos kept looking- until he found a door.

It was smallish even for humans, and he was sure he couldn't get through it, wings and all. Besides, the floor on the other side didn't seem strong enough to support him. Kerberos supposed that he could give a good use to that ridiculous false form Clow had been experimenting with lately. He looked rather undignified in it, but curiosity was stronger than pride... and who could see him, anyway? Changing into his smaller form, he went through the door and took a good look at what was on the other side.

He found himself in a tunnel of sorts that seemed to connect the houses of the block. Well, if he didn't find anything to do in this house, at least he could check the others. From the moment they had arrived, the three of them had felt a very strong magical power coming from their neighbours' garden. Maybe there were wizards living there?

Kerberos flew through the tunnel into the house next to theirs, and discovered that the magic did indeed feel stronger. But it still seemed to come from the outside- if there were any magical people living there, whatever they had in the garden was much stronger than them.

The feeling grew dimmer after a while, and Kerberos realized he must have gone into the next house. This one seemed completely normal, but there were signs of people coming up here regularly. He saw a trunk, some broken chairs and a few empty bottles near the entrance of the tunnel. He was about to leave when he heard someone approaching; panicking, he simply dropped himself on the floor and stood very still.

It was a girl who had come, probably the owner of the small treasure. She seemed to know all she could find there... so she immediately noticed what didn't belong. She approached Kerberos and picked him up with a strange look.

"Well, hello," she said; Kerberos was dangerously close to answering out of habit. "Where are you from, hmm? I'm pretty sure you're not one of my toys..."

Toys? Kerberos didn't know who he hated more in that moment, the little girl or Clow. It should prove interesting, indeed... Curse his sense of humour.

"I guess I'll have to take care of you until we find your home, don't you think?" the girl said as she took him to her room. Kerberos wanted to yell at her to just leave him alone, but he knew girls didn't expect their dolls to answer, even when they did talk to them. Girls were quite strange, and this one was no exception.

Her name was Polly, he discovered when her parents told her to go downstairs for dinner. He had expected her to just leave him on her room and use that moment to escape; but her captor took him to the dining-room with her.

"I don't want him to get lost," she explained to her parents, "because I have to give him back."

That didn't make much sense, Kerberos thought, at least not coming from someone who believed he couldn't move. But Polly didn't leave him for a second.

The only good thing that the Guardian could see in his situation was that, at least, she wasn't too young. He shuddered to think of what a smaller girl could have done to him- horrible things, like putting him on a dress, or calling him something like Fluffy. That was quite a terrifying idea... But Polly merely carried him around, and when she went to bed, she placed him on her pillow.

Kerberos saw his opportunity at last. As soon as she fell asleep, he would have the perfect moment to escape.

* * *

The perfect moment must have gone by when Kerberos was fast asleep, for the next morning he woke up still next to Polly. Who knew pillows were so comfortable? That was something he could get used to...

Suddenly the girl stirred, and he stood still once more. He hoped he'd get to escape now, but no- she took him downstairs again for breakfast.

That was way too much for him. He had already had a hard time with dinner, and now... tea and pudding and scones, all right in front of his eyes! And he couldn't even move! Oh, Clow would have to make up for this, even if that meant having his Master locked in the kitchen for the rest of his life.

Eventually, though, the torture was over. Polly returned to her room, and soon a boy came to visit her. Kerberos remembered him: he lived in the house between theirs and Polly's, and had been watching them move in the previous morning. Both Guardians had been concealed by Illusion then, but they had managed to take a good look at the boy as he chatted with Clow. Apparently, the wizard had left quite an impression on him, for he was the first person the boy talked about.

"The strangest fellow moved into the old empty house yesterday," he said. Polly gave him a reproachful look.

"I don't think you are one to talk about strange people, Diggory, after the things we've seen."

"But he was strange," Diggory insisted. "Though I couldn't exactly point out why... He's one of those people that just get your attention, you know? It was really hard not to stare."

Kerberos couldn't blame him. Everyone stared at Clow; he was strange like that.

"Besides," the boy continued, "he seems to live alone, but he was getting way too many things in the house for just one person. And the way he talked to me was quite funny... I don't know. It was as if he didn't treat me like a child. Or maybe I should say he didn't sound like an adult."

It was hard to hold back a snort at that. Not like an adult, indeed... what an observant kid!

"Really?" Polly asked, too interested now to hide her curiosity. Diggory nodded.

"But that's not the strangest part," he said, and he frowned a little. "Right when he was getting into his house, he winked at me... and he said I had a very special apple tree."

Polly gasped. Kerberos started paying even more attention, surprised by her reaction. Was the tree the source of the magic?

"Do you think..." she stuttered, "do you think he knows about Narnia?"

"I don't know," Diggory said thoughtfully. "But I'm sure he knows something. Nobody had said anything like that about the tree before."

"Maybe he's a magician," Polly said, looking a little uncomfortable. Kerberos flinched. Were those kids supposed to know about that kind of things?

"Well, if he is, he's nothing like my uncle," the boy answered. "I could tell he's a good person."

"How? You've only met him once!"

Diggory shrugged.

"I don't know. I just could."

They both stayed quiet for a while, looking thoughtful. Meanwhile, Kerberos was doing quite a bit of thinking himself. So, the boy's uncle was a magician, and apparently not a nice one. They had a magical apple tree... which Clow knew about. He wondered how many other things Clow knew about, for that matter.

And what was that Narnia thing, anyway?

"I don't think he's been to Narnia," Polly said after a while. "It's too new, don't you think?"

"Hmm... but he could have gone to another world. Or maybe he just knows about them."

"Or perhaps," she suggested, "he just noticed something about the tree."

"It could be that, too," said Diggory. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

They didn't have much more to say about it, so they soon changed the subject. After a while, the boy had to return to his house for lunch; Polly walked out with him and waved at him from the sidewalk, always carrying Kerberos with her.

* * *

Polly was still outside when Kerberos felt his Master's presence nearby. Clow approached them from behind, walking down the street- and it was about time! He was going to be yelled at, as soon as Kerberos was free to talk.

"Hello."

The girl jumped a little and turned around. Clow was smiling kindly at her.

"Good afternoon," she said politely, but Kerberos could tell she was staring a little.

"I see you've found my little friend," said Clow. As he knelt down to be on eye level with her, he gave a quick, mischievous glance to his Guardian. Kerberos glared.

"Oh, is he yours then?" Polly asked. Kerberos had to admit that the old innocent smile worked wonders. She didn't seem at all surprised by the fact that a grown man was claiming to own a- oh, no, he was not going to think of himself as a stuffed animal. "He was lost, and I was wondering who he belonged to. I don't know what was he doing in my attic."

Clow chuckled and shook his head.

"He always ends up in the oddest places."

And guess whose fault it is, Kerberos thought. He was definitely going to be yelled at.

"He's very nice. I took good care of him," the girl said.

"You don't mind if I take him back, do you?" Clow asked with a warm smile. "I'm rather fond of him."

Even as angry as he was at his Master, Kerberos wished Polly wouldn't put up a fight. Not that Clow couldn't get him back easily; it was just... what? Suddenly he discovered that he didn't want her to be disappointed. Strange. Where had that come from?

"Oh, of course I don't!" she replied, filling him with relief. "I was only looking after him until I could return him. It's just... well, it didn't seem right to leave him alone."

She was a little hesitant when she finished talking, as if what she had said didn't make any sense; but Clow gave her a reassuring smile.

"That was very kind of you," he said. "I hope you didn't have much trouble."

Kerberos tried hard not to snort at that. You couldn't very well give trouble when you were pretending to be a toy, now could you?

"Not at all," she said as she handed him back to Clow. "But I hadn't seen any toy like him before. He's very handsome."

Kerberos decided that the "handsome" part of that statement had more weight than the "toy" one, and that he did like Polly, after all.

"Why, thank you," said Clow, smiling as he stroked his Guardian's little head. "I made him myself."

There he went, bragging again. Kerberos wondered if rolling his eyes would be too noticeable. Polly, on the other hand, seemed delighted.

"Really?" she asked. "Do you make stuffed animals?"

The wizard grinned.

"Just the one," he said. "You know, I should thank you properly for taking care of him. Would you like to have tea at my house one of these days? You can invite your friend Diggory, too. I live right next to him."

"Oh," Polly said; from the look on her face, it seemed that everything had finally made sense to her. "Why... thank you, I would really like to. I'll just have to ask my parents."

"Oh, I'm sure they will say yes," Clow assured her. "I'll see you soon then."

He stood up to leave, but then turned to the girl again and smiled.

"It's funny, you know," he said, "how you noticed he's a he and not an it."

Polly looked completely flabbergasted. Kerberos was surprised, too; he hadn't realized that until now.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Clow looked at his Guardian.

"Why don't you tell her, Kerberos?"

He stared at him for a second, but his Master merely nodded. Kerberos sighed and turned to Polly.

"He means," he said, "I'm not a stuffed animal."

Polly gasped, but she quickly recovered from the shock. And then she said something that made Kerberos forgive her for everything.

"Oh, dear... I didn't give you anything to eat!"

Clow laughed heartily at that.

"Well, I'm going to have to cook quite a feast for him now."

"You better," Kerberos muttered. Polly couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but you're the strangest thing I've seen in a while."

"Ah, but not the last one," said Clow with a knowing smile. "Not for someone who has travelled between worlds."

This time she did stare. Clow simply winked at her.

"See you for tea," said Kerberos, waving at her. "And bring some scones!"