Disclaimer: Intro/ending in italics is from the song 'Underneath the Stars' by Kate Rusby. Also, if I owned Pokemon the anime would be more like the manga, battles would be totally badass, all my favourite pairings would become canon, and it would be so awesome that everyone would explode into sparkles. So, considering that none of the above is happening, no. Not mine, people.

Characters: Kotone X Silver from Pokemon HeartGold/ SoulSilver

Summary: My version of how Kotone X Silver met. And I'm not happy with it. At all. My Kotone is much too spunky (actually, annoying's the better word) since I never did quite see her as the sweet type, and Silver… *sniffles* Silver, I love you, please don't hate me. Anyways, please try and enjoy! *Prays people won't start bashing*

Stars

~Underneath the stars I'll meet you

Underneath the stars I'll greet you~

Two small, deft-fingered hands push the pane of glass up, and a blast of cool July air rushes into the room. The girl's breath falls stagnant for a moment as she listens for any sign of her mother having heard, but the house is still: the numbers on the alarm clock still read 12: 30, and the window is still shivering from her touch. Once she is sure she is safe she hoists herself up and out into the night, a blanket and a pair of binoculars slung over her shoulder. With skill she climbs down the ivy crawling across her home's exterior, having done the exact act countless times before; and, like always, when she is near the bottom she drops, her knees bending to absorb the impact.

A self-satisfied smile creeps onto her face. At fourteen, she's quite the ninja.

She straightens with an effortlessness that defines all of her movements, and starts tiptoeing through the sleeping town she calls home. She passes her best friend's house, Ethan, who she knows would join her if she bust into his room and asked him to; she passes her neighbour's house, which is always quiet, even in the daytime; and, finally, she passes by the Wilsons' house, whose little girl she sometimes babysits. Soon she reaches her destination, Prof. Elm's lab, and- carefully, always carefully- ascends the ladder built into the side of it. That familiar thrill of breaking the rules courses through her, making her blood sing and heart to pound as she climbs up onto the flat-roofed building. Once there she spreads her blanket out on the tiled surface, throwing herself upon it. Lying on her back with her hair fanned out around her face, she lifts the binoculars and holds them to her eyes, awed at the sight above her.

It's a perseids meteor shower.

It happens every year, and, even though she sneaks out to see the stars every night, tonight is always her favourite for stargazing; the quickness in which the meteors hurtle across the sky, the magnesium-esque fire that surrounds them, the splendor of the moon paling before the flashes of colour…It makes her feel so alive. Now, on top of the lab roof and feeling so very close to the stars that so enthralled her, she stretches out her arm as if to touch them and finds herself wishing on each glimmer that her eyes happen to catch.

I wish…for an adventure, she thinks after the first one she sees. I know I'll get to choose my starter next week with Ethan, on my birthday, but I want my journey to be amazing- like Red's, the old champion. He fought and beat Team Rocket, became the youngest champion to date and even fell in love while he was out travelling. I want something exciting like that, something fun and challenging…

I wish…for strength, she decides when the second star shoots across the sky. I know I'll get homesick, but I want to be able to get over that and keep going. I want to prove to everyone that I'm not just some cliché teen- I want to prove that girls really can do everything that boys can! I want to become the champion, because then everyone will see… I wish… The thought was bubbling to the surface of her mind, nearly complete, when the sound of a muffled chainsaw intruded on her consciousness. Bewildered, she starts into an upright position, the binoculars landing on the roof with a clatter. Her mind starts spitting out possibilities, fuelled by panic. Is it some kind of monstrous, never-before-seen pokemon preparing to rip her guts out? Is Prof. Elm secretly an android and wanders around in his true form at night? Has her mom found out she's been sneaking out and has decided that the only punishment fitting enough is death-by-chainsaw? Don't be silly, she scoffs at the last idea, trying to calm herself down. You know that Mom would bludgeon you to death with a pan, not a chainsaw. Don't overreact.

With her curiosity winning out, the girl gathers her nerves up enough to army crawl across the roof, inching closer towards the source of the noise. The closer she gets the more terrifying the noise becomes, and she bites the inside of her cheek as she reaches the edge of the roof. Bracing herself for the worst, she leans and peeks over the side to see-

A boy. To see a teenage boy asleep underneath the first-floor window of Prof. Elm's lab- a boy whose snores sound exactly like the roar of a chainsaw.

For the longest moment she stares down at him with her mouth hanging open, relief and incredulity warring for dominance. Then her body relaxes, and her hands fly to her mouth, stifling the laughter that threatens to expose her. It's too weird, after all- why would a kid be sleeping outside the lab? Is he a traveller or something? Suddenly the grin drops from her lips, replaced by a frown. Maybe he's hurt and couldn't get to a Pokecenter to rest, and passed out there while trying to get to one. Why else would he be sleeping outside?

Bundling up her blanket and binoculars in her arms, the girl descends, hastening to where she saw the boy. She makes sure to keep her breathing quiet, since the cracking of her joints and crunching of leaves underfoot are loud enough already, and steps lightly over so that she stands a few paces away from his sleeping form. From what she can see he's unharmed, save for the dark circles etched under his eyes. He has long, wiry limbs sheathed in a red-rimmed black jacket and dark blue jeans, muscles coiled tightly under the fabric; his skin is bathed in the moon's glow, near-silver. His face is nicely sculpted, with high cheekbones and a wilful, roseate mouth. The hair that is splayed across his forehead is a near-brown shade of burgundy that falls past his chin in layers, almost girlishly long in length.

He's hot, the girl thinks in surprise. As if sensing her presence the boy stirs, rolling over so that he has both of his hands tucked under his cheek. The lips which the obnoxiously loud snores rumble from are set in a frown, and as she stands there he shivers once, curling so that he's almost in a ball. She feels her face soften. Creeping over, she gently lets her blanket drift on top of him, covering most of his body. She knows she'll have to explain to her mother where her blanket went, but she can't find it in herself to worry about it too much. Not when she's watching the boy's lips turn up in the smallest of smiles as he tugs the blanket closer, holding a fistful of it to his chest as if it is something precious.

"Thank you," she thinks she hears him murmur. His eyes flutter open so that they're at half-mast, squinting as if trying to see her, but they fall quickly shut. In less than a minute he's back to snoring. Feeling a mirror image of his smile cross her face, she turns, treading softly until she's back at her house. Pulling herself into her room, she takes one last look at the stars before shutting the window and crawling back into bed.

0000

A week later she stands before Prof. Elm's lab, the sun beating down on the now-fifteen-year-old girl's face. Ethan had already received his pokemon- a marill whose grin is as rascally as her master's- and had stolen her hat on his way out of the lab, running off to go hide it somewhere. The girl rolls her eyes, hiding a fond smile- she'll miss him when they go on their separate journeys. As she's about to enter a noise makes her stop, and she pauses, backtracking. She hears a mutter, and a sulky huff. Curiously, and with a sneaking suspicion of who it might be, the girl makes her way over to the side of the lab.

When she gets there, she grins. The boy from before is peering through the window, grouching under his breath. A scowl spoils his fine-boned face, a pucker between his brows.

"Do you have a thing for old men or something?" The words spill from her mouth unbidden, but with a playful ring to them.

He whirls to face her, tensing as if preparing to fight. "What?" he barks out, his scowl deepening with confusion. Something other than annoyance flickers across his face, but it's gone before she can discern what it is.

"Do you have a thing for old men?" she repeats, not at all fazed. "Or is there another reason for why your face was smushed up against the window of an old man's home?"

He flushes, which she finds cute, and sputters in indignation. "My face was not 'smushed up' against the window."

"Uh-huh." This close to him she can see that his eyes are a stately shade of silver, framed by lashes so heavy they seem to weigh his eyelids down. "You can say that all you want, but denial doesn't help any. You know, I can introduce the two of you if you'd like-"

"Get lost!"

"You're being overly defensive," she points out.

He glowers at her and her cheeky tone, but her smile only grows, and after a moment he glances away. "Go bother someone else," he grumbles, his flush deepening a shade.

"C'mon, Pouty, don't get your ahoge in a twist." She steps back, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "And yeah, I have to go meet Prof. Elm anyways, so I guess I'll be going."

He blinks. "Prof. Elm? You don't mean to say that you're a trainer."

"Are you kidding? You're looking at the world's future champion!" She poses, her left hand resting on the hip that's cocked at a sassy angle, her right flashing a victory sign.

He stares at her in silence before scoffing. "You're too…" He pauses, his gaze roaming across her body in a way that makes her repress a shiver. "…small to be a trainer," he finishes eventually.

"I could take you on," she retorts with confidence.

He snorts. "You'd be a waste of my time."

"Wanna bet, Pouty?"

"Don't call me that."

"Why? You're totally pouting right now."

"Whatever. Didn't you say you had to go?" His face is closed off, but there's something in his star-bright eyes that makes her think he's not as harsh a person as he seems to be. Besides, whenever she looks at him she pictures the way he had smiled in his sleep, so it makes it impossible for her to be offended.

"Yeah, I do." She takes a step back, raising her hand in a half-wave. "Well, bye. Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Good luck with Prof. Elm." The colour on his cheekbones burns brighter for a second before he turns away with a 'Humph', slouching against the wall by the window again with his scowl still in place. "Maybe," he mumbles, gripping more tightly onto the blanket he cradles in his arms. She can feel his stare on her back as she turns, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she makes her way back to the front of the lab.

~There beneath the stars I'll leave you

Before you go of your own free will

Go gently~