Isabella's Wish

"You guys are Sooooo Busted!" Screamed Candace as she ran from the house to tell her mother at the Bowl-A-Rama what her boys were doing just as Isabella rounded the corner while thinking to herself.

Why? Why? Why? Thought Isabella as she walked. Why didn't Phineas notice me, even when I've hinted him everything yesterday? Maybe it's finally time to make my move on him. Oh if only it would be that simple…

As Isabella reached for the small gate that led into the garden, she composed herself, getting ready for the moment that she has been dreaming, and dreading, about for years and years. Then, with a false confidence running through her body, she opened the gate and walked into the garden.

"Hey Phineas. What'cha do –" Isabella said before stopping in her tracks as she looked on to the garden, which was entirely empty, except for one thing.

Right at the center of the garden stood a most strange-looking device which looks quite a lot like Baljeet's portal, only more advanced. That's odd she thought. Why would they be making another portal? Isabella, as Phineas's close friend, has already heard about the incident at the science fair. But before she could further think about it, she saw that the portal had already been activated and is now showing an oriental house surrounded by tall buildings.

Before Isabella could wrap her head around it, she noticed that her feet are slowly walking towards the portal, against her will. As Isabella tried to resist, her feet tried even harder to move her body forward as she passed through the portal and walked straight into the shophouse door.

Two girls shouted at her as the door opened. "A customer! A customer! A customer for Mistress!" The blue-haired one took hold of Isabella's left arm while the pink-haired one took hold of her right and both dragged Isabella into the building and in front of a shoji door covered in butterflies.

"Maru, Moro, let her in" a woman's soft voice said from the other side of the door. The two girls opened the door and closed it behind her. In front of Isabella, a woman with long black hair wearing a deep red kimono lay on her back on a couch. She had a pipe in one hand that she was smoking. A strange black bunny-like creature sat on her lap.

The woman looked at Isabella and questioned "What is your name?"

"I-Isabella Garcia Sh-Sh-Shapiro" stammered Isabella, who was frightened to the core. "I'm sorry for intruding…" she didn't know what to call her. Yuuko sat up and looked at her with her red eyes.

"Ichihara Yuuko. Please, call me Yuuko. So, you might be wondering why you are here?"

"Well, yes."

"Then know this, dear Isabella, you are here because it is inevitable. There are no coincidences in this world, only hitsuzen, only the Inevitable. You are here, Isabella, because you have a wish that needs granting, since this shop is only accessible to those who have a wish in their hearts. So, if I may ask, what is your wish?"

"Well..." said Isabella, "there is this one wish that I had. But, I don't know...if you can grant it."

"Please, could we know what it is?" said the black bunny-like creature.

"Hush, Mokona. Let her continue" said Yuuko.

Isabella, who was startled when she heard the creature talked, continued on "well, I was wondering if you could make my best friend...notice me?"

The entire room went silent.

"Please, would you explain further?" said Yuuko after a few minutes.

"Well…" said Isabella slowly. "Ever since I was young I've… I've been having this crush on my best friend. And even now, when I've tried everything to grab his attention, he still won't notice me. Oh, if only I could tell Phineas how much I love him..." she covered her face with her hand as the first tears started to well under her eyes.

Once again, the room fell silent.

Then, slowly, the shoji doors behind Isabella opened, revealing three figures that were as shocked as her.

The first figure was a teenager wearing an apron and a headscarf with an orange right eye. The second figure was Ferb Fletcher, carrying his toolbox; and the last person in the strange threesome was none other than Phineas Flynn, mouth open with a surprised expression on his face.

It was clear from the shocked faces of the two boys and the part-time helper that they were eavesdropping on Isabella's conversation.

Behind her, Yuuko smiled to herself. Everything had gone just as it should, She thought. It was all so simple, really. A few minutes ago, when Phineas and Ferb accidentally connected the portal to her world, came to the shop and asked to Yuuko about his wish, she instructed them to hide behind the shoji doors just as Isabella walked in.

Of course, thought Yuuko, they wouldn't be here in the first place if they don't have a wish, but then again, not every boy would want to wish to confess to his best friend. As Yuuko saw looked at the scene in front of her, her thoughts immediately turned back to the thirteen words that came out of Phineas's mouth when she asked him minutes earlier.

"I only wish… to confess to my best friend… how much… I love her."

Yuuko Ichihara only stared at Phineas as the silence that came before the words returned. Outside the door, Ferb and Watanuki, who are listening closely, could now only hear the sound of their breaths.

"Why so?" asked the Dimensional Witch.

As Phineas stared at his feet, the words started flowing again. "Because-" he hesitated. "Because I now realized what she had been hinting at me all these years. I can't believe I realized this only yesterday." He looked up at Yuuko. "I must be such a fool to ignore her for so long…"

"No, Phineas. You are not." Said Yuuko. "You didn't realize this because all these years, you consider her as just your best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, I could grant your wish, but I would require a price in return."

"But I don't think I have any money to –"

"No Phineas, I don't mean money. I mean by taking something that is important to you. But we could discuss about the price later, for if I want to grant your wish, you must do exactly as I say…"

It worked. Everything has gone as planned. Thought Yuuko as the seconds ticked by.

After what seemed to be forever, Phineas started to respond by closing the distance with him and Isabella in three strides .Then, slowly, he lifted his hand to touch Isabella's cheeks while constantly staring at her.

In one small moment, time slowed to a crawl and all talking was suspended as Isabella and Phineas looked at each other's eyes as the minutes ticked by.

Then, finally, it hit them.

In one sudden movement, Isabella and Phineas embraced each other in a hug as Maru, Moro, and Mokona clapped and applauded as if it were a movie scene. But to the embracing couple, it didn't matter if they were praising or cussing them. As they hugged, Isabella finally said the magic words in Phineas's ear.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

And both of them failed to notice an ecstatic Yuuko ordering sake and snacks (It's time for a celebration!) and an angry Watanuki retorting back (You have drunk three bottles already!) nor did they noticed an expressionless Ferb coming forward and asking Yuuko about the price for his brother's (and Isabella's) wish.

"I don't see anything, Candace." said Linda Flynn flatly.

"B-b-b-bu-bu-but-but-but…" stammered Candace as she stared towards the empty lawn.

Linda then asked her sons "Hey boys, Have a good day?"

"Yeah Mom," said Phineas while putting a hand across Isabella's waist. "It was the best day ever." I don't know if 'best' would even cover it.

"Bu-bu-but-but-but-but…" continued Candace.

"C'mon Candace, I think It's time to get your eyes checked tomorrow." Said Linda as she walked back to her house, leaving Candace alone with her brothers and Isabella.

"You guys! What happened? What did you do to it!!??"

"Well, let's just say we used it as a price for discovering true love." Answered Ferb as he, Phineas, and Isabella left the garden, leaving Candace alone with her confused thoughts.