Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters, they are the property of Tajiri Satoshi and Nintendo. If I did, it'd be a certainty that Tracey and Cilan would meet.

Notes: This is an AU-fic, so there are no Pokemon. This is a Starchshipping fic, which means it's a romantic relationship between Tracey and Cilan, thus making it shounen-ai. If you don't like that, then please leave now. If you do, then I hope you enjoy!

Prologue: The Idea

Tracey was stuck. He was fully aware of his beloved's birthday approaching, but alas, he had no idea what he would give him. He'd casually asked what the desired gift should be, only to be told anything would make him happy. He'd gone over ideas in his head, but nothing seemed good enough.

He decided to seek advice for this problem, so he went to visit two of his friends. He rang the doorbell, and the door soon opened. "Tracey! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in!" Misty greeted enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Misty." He entered the house. "So, how's everything been?"

"Not too bad." She patted her swollen stomach. "The little one has settled down so my morning sickness is finally over."

"Is your child healthy?"

"Yes, and the doctor said that next visit, we're able to find out the gender. Ash and I still haven't decided if we want to know or if we'd rather be surprised."

"Well, I'm sure you're going to be a great mother, you're a very nurturing woman."

"Thanks, Trace." She sat at the table. "Ash should be back any minute, he just went to get a couple of things. So, what's up? How's everything between you and Cilan?"

"It's great. Though..."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing really. It's just that Cilan's birthday is coming up and I still have no idea what to get him."

"Oh, that's right, it's in a few days, isn't it?"

"Yeah, so I'm kind of on a deadline."

"Has he given any hints?"

"No. I even tried asking him if he wanted something in particular, but he said anything would make him happy. I've tried to come up with ideas, but nothing sounds right."

"What about one of your sketches?"

"Misty...you know how I feel about them..."

"I do. But, you've been told hundreds of times that they look lifelike. You've got to stop being so modest. Anyway, a sketch would be perfect because not only is it really from you, I know you put your heart and soul into each work of yours. So, I think you should give Cilan a sketch you're going to make."

"You're right. Thanks for the suggestion, Misty."

"Anytime." She heard the door open and close. "Sounds like Ash is back."

Just as Misty finished her sentence, Ash entered the kitchen. He was carrying three plastic bags filled with different things. "Hey, Misty. You wouldn't believe how packed the stores were, it's incredible I didn't take longer than I should have." He set the bags down on the bench, stepped over to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. He then turned to Tracey. "How's it goin', Trace?"

"Everything's been great, Ash. And you?"

"Can't complain. How's Cilan going?"

"He's great."

"That's good. So, what brings you here today?"

"I just came to visit and seek advice. I didn't know what to get Cilan for his birthday, but Misty suggested I make a sketch for him."

"I agree with Mist. From the days we were kids, you've always been a great artist. I think Cilan would appreciate it."

"Yeah. That's why I will do that."

"Good on you! Hey, I had an idea! You and Cilan have been best friends since kindergarten, right? Maybe you could get a new sketchbook and make sketches of memories of the two of you through the years."

"Great idea! I'd better go home and start working on it then. Thanks for your help, I'll see you next time."

"No problem. I'll show you to the door."

"You don't have to do that, Ash. Anyway, see you! Bye, Misty!" He made his way out of the kitchen, and out of the house.

Misty let out a gasp. "Ash, come over here."

"What is it?"

"The baby just kicked." She took Ash's hand and placed it on her stomach. "Do you feel it?"

Ash nodded, a smile on his face. "Sometimes, I still can't believe I'm going to be a dad, but reminders like these make me even more eager to meet our child."

"I know."

Tracey had to make a quick stop at an art supplies shop to purchase a new sketchbook, as well as more pencils. He double-checked that he had everything he'd come for, and when satisified, he made his way to the cash register.

Tracey had just entered the house and switched on the light when he heard the phone ring. He hurried to answer it. "Hello, this is Tracey."

"Hello, Tracey."

"Hey, Cilan. I was just thinking about calling you. How are you?"

"Good, thank you. Yourself?"

"Yes, I'm alright, though I miss you like crazy."

"I miss you too, Tracey."

"How are your brothers?"

"They're well. Cress has been teasing Chilli non-stop though since he has a crush on someone."

Tracey laughed. "The tables have turned. How's he handling a dose of his own medicine?"

Cilan chuckled. "He's acting like he did as a child, complete with that adorable pout of his."

"Is the celebration going well?"

"Mostly. Chilli had too much to drink last night and made a fool out of himself. I don't think I'd ever seen Cress so red before."

More laughing. "What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"The amusement park. It's the one we went to on our last family holiday."

"Sounds like fun!"

"Oh yes, though I imagine Chilli will tease me non-stop about the rides. I'm still not too keen on the high-speed rides."

"Don't let him get to you. He knows as well as I do why you don't like them. I think his teasing is a way to egg you on so much, you'll go on the rides to prove him wrong."

"That sounds about right. He did the same to Cress concerning his fear of the ferris wheel, and now he goes on it every time. So, what are you up to?"

"I finally know what to give you. I'll be working on it while you're away."

"Tracey, you don't have to get me anything."

"I know, but I want to. Anyway, I can't tell you any more about it. What else do you and your brothers have planned?"

"Chilli and I are dragging Cress to a karaoke bar. We love it, but Cress always claims he'd rather swim with sharks than do karaoke."

Tracey chuckled. "I remember our first concert back in kindergarten. Cress immediately wanted to be a tree so he wouldn't have to sing."

"The two of us were terrified of the very idea of singing in front of everyone."

"But then, we saw our parents wave, and we knew we'd be okay."

"We were quiet at first, but we saw everyone dancing to the song, and we started to sing louder."

"The next thing we knew, we were having so much fun we forgot our stage fright."

"When our song came to an end, we were just that happy, we hugged each other."

"It was only after hearing everyone say aww that we remembered we were in front of a lot of people."

"But, it didn't bother us, and since that day, we found we could always beat our stage fright by simply having fun."

"It helped when we decided to sing in our fourth grade talent show."

"That was fun. Do you remember the song?"

"I never forgot it."

"Anyway, I'd better get going, Chilli's reminding me that this is a long distance call."

"Alright. Say hi to your brothers for me."

"Of course. Bye, Tracey. I love you so much."

"Bye, Cilan, I love you too, more than words can describe." He heard Cilan had hung up, so he rested the phone on the hook, thus breaking the connection from both ends. That conversation helped spark his inspiration.

Tracey looked at old photos of him and Cilan from the days they were children. That way, he'd be able to make it so the sketches were like photos of their life. He found one from when they were both four years old. He smiled fondly as he gazed at the children being caught off-guard. Neither he nor Cilan liked having their pictures taken until they were at least eight or nine years of age. He knew what the first sketch was to be, so he grabbed his new sketchbook and pencils. After opening the book and selecting the right pencil, he got to work.