Hey everybody! Thank you for reviewing! And I've stopped the short chapter frenzy that I've been caught in. I was just trying to hurry because I'm writing two stories for Flint the time detective, one for Escaflowne, and one original anime that I came up with so I'm pretty busy. But since I'm getting the most reviews for this story, I'm writing this one with more urgency. Also, this is the last chapter. Yay!! I'm sorry it took so long but I was busy with other stories. I think I have about 10 other stories out there that I need to update. People ask me to update so I do. So, go ahead and read this.
Who's that girl?
Authors note: The reason Wolf Gang was afraid of Ashley was because of what she did. She didn't let Wolf Gang move and she didn't even use physical strength.
She used magic. Ashley is NOT like other girls and you'll soon see why…
Authors note 2: WARNING TO ALL LILA FANS OUT THERE! If you read this fanfiction, you'll be insulted (maybe) because in this chapter, Lila's true nature is revealed. And let me tell you, it isn't pleasant. Don't read if you are a die-hard Lila fan. This will only upset you. If you like her but don't really care about her true intentions, then read on Maestro ^_^!
Rated PG for violence.
Disclaimer: HA=CB
Once Ashley had told Arnold about her whole plan of setting him up with "Cecile", Ashley decided to tell Helga. She knew Helga would be ecstatic. It was her plan after all. Ashley walked the familiar streets of New York, passing by couples in love and families, hoping Helga could have the same with Arnold. It would make Ashley so happy.
She reached the Pataki home and, taking a breather, walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. A woman with short blond hair answered the door, looking really out of it. Ashley smiled, despite the uncomfortableness she felt. "Hi. Is Helga home?" Ashley asked.
The woman Ashley suspected was Mrs. Pataki looked at her but Ashley felt like she was looking past her. "What? No, Olga's not here."
"No Mrs. Pataki. I came to see Helga."
When Mrs. Pataki didn't answer, Ashley let herself go in and walked upstairs towards Helga's room. For such a weird family, they sure had a nice house. The walls were painted in a light purple color and there were many cute little statues everywhere, giving the house a girlie feeling. Ashley reached the room with a Raggedy Ann doll hanging from the door reading "Helga's room". It didn't surprise Ashley that Helga had that doll hanging from her door.
Ashley brought up her arm and knocked lightly. "Helga?"
Her answer was the moving about in her room. She heard a closet slam and desk drawers closing until finally, Helga opened the door. "Hey Ashley." She opened the door wider and stepped back. "Come in."
Ashley did so, quite humbly. "I came to talk to you about Arnold," she said, trying to keep the excitement in her voice.
Helga must have taken her soft tone the wrong way because she walked over to the bed and sat down with a sad look in her eyes. She gripped the ends of the bed.
"He didn't want another date huh?"
"Oh no Helga," Ashley said, practically laughing. "He does want another date. You should have seen the way he begged me to tell him who Cecile was." Okay, maybe he didn't beg, but the way he said that he loved her was in fact real. Ashley knew this would work out well. Or at least, she hoped so.
Helga sighed. "Alright." She looked up at Ashley. "When?"
"Chez Pierre's at 8 this Saturday."
Helga nodded as Ashley excused herself, trying to think of how the whole set-up was going to work out.
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On Saturday, with the moon shining bright in the sky, promising a romantic night, Ashley headed over to Helga's house to help her get ready for the date. She had come from the boarding house where she saw that Arnold was also getting ready in his regular black suit and red tie (I haven't seen enough episodes where he wears the regular suit so I'm not sure if his suit consists of this). She left him to get ready, not bothering to talk to him.
Ashley entered Helga's house without permission, since her parents didn't pay attention to her anyway, and headed for Helga's room. Ashley stepped through the door and gaped at Helga. Helga looked great, dressed in her French striped shirt, pink skirt, and soft, puffy hair. She was even smiling as she twirled around in the mirror, admiring herself.
Helga sensed Ashley's presence in the room and she turned around, the smile still on her face. "How do I look?"
Ashley smiled broadly. "I think Arnold will fall in love with you all over again."
Helga sat down on the bed with the same sad look as before. "I'm so nervous. I'm not sure what's going to happen tonight."
Ashley walked over to Helga and held her hand reassuringly. "No one does Helga. No one ever knows what's in store for them in the future. All they know is that if they want the best in life, they should ride it out, no matter what happens."
Helga looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks."
Ashley let go of her hand and walked over to the door. "So come on already. Arnold isn't going to wait forever."
Helga smiled and nodded, following Ashley out the door.
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With the moon high in the sky and the clouds all hidden, Ashley and Helga made their way towards Chez Pierre's. It was a little after 8 and as soon as they got there, they saw Arnold sitting at a table and waiting for "Cecile" to show up. He was checking his watch every little while, a single candle on the table, casting his face aglow. Helga had never seen Arnold look any cuter.
"Okay Helga," Ashley whispered low enough. "Just make conversation and don't reveal yourself until I'm sure that Arnold is in fact in love with you. Then I'll appear and reveal your identity."
Since she was so nervous, Helga only nodded, leaving Ashley behind in the bushes where she would be able to listen from afar.
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Arnold was patiently waiting for the love of his life (^_^ I like that) when he saw her come in. Arnold got up from his seat and waited for her to approach. He was gaping at how lovely she looked tonight, even better than the Valentine's date. She did look beautiful but that wasn't what caught his attention. She seemed more mature, more poised, more elegant, as if she had am experience in her life that made her that way. She seemed familiar somehow and Arnold had felt this feeling before. He felt like he had known her his entire life.
"Hi," 'Cecile' said coyly.
"Hi," answered Arnold. He walked over and pulled out her seat, allowing her to sit down. He sat down in his own seat. "I'm glad you came back."
Cecile pulled out a napkin and set it down on her lap. She tried to hide the sound of her voice like Ashley had instructed her to. The light of the candle cast her face aglow as well as his. "I'm glad you chose to go out with me again."
Arnold shook his head. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Life had made him brave so he moved his hand towards her, resting it on top of hers. Cecile blushed a crimson color.
The waiter interrupted the moment, handing them each a menu. Arnold never let go of Cecile's hand. He wasn't going to let anyone ruin this for him. He had been searching for this girl for a long time and he wasn't about to let her go. He flashed the waiter a look to show this. He left, noticing the moment he broke up.
Arnold turned to Cecile again. "How about we go for a walk through the park after dinner?"
A walk through the park wasn't part of the plan but Cecile decided to take a chance anyway. She nodded sheepishly. The whole time, the moonlight reflected on their faces as they gazed at each other with love-filled eyes.
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Behind the bushes, Ashley watched, happy to see everything going so well. She was positive that Arnold could stand the truth and that she should wait a while before she revealed Helga's true identity. Arnold obviously seemed in love with Cecile or Helga or whoever she was, but she wanted to give them this night before the truth was revealed.
So far, she had this much knowledge about the whole situation: Helga is in love with Arnold, and as an attempt to tell him, she pretended to be Arnold's penpal. But his real penpal showed up and Helga was forced to keep her identity a secret. Arnold fell in love with 'Cecile', not knowing that she was actually Helga, the girl who bullies him in an attempt to hide her true feelings. And Arnold's been searching for Cecile, and in an attempt to fill the emptiness in his heart, he fell for Lila, who reminded him of his Cecile.
Now Ashley knew that Arnold wouldn't get angry when he found out that Helga was Cecile. He loved her enough to forgive her, that much Ashley knew. And once they were together, Ashley's work here would be finished.
Suddenly, a waiter walked by Helga, and Ashley saw the cup of water he'd been holding in his hand drop onto Helga's lap. She stood up while Arnold tried to dry her off and Helga chose to make a mistake. She was mouthing off and revealing her secret.
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Arnold and Cecile were gazing into each other's eyes, wanting something more than a simple glance. Both were leaning across the table, wanting the taste of each other's lips as a waiter came by, "accidentally" pouring water on Cecile's lap. She jumped back, and stood up as Arnold saw what had happened. He grabbed a towel and cleaned her off as the waiter apologized, not really knowing how it had happened. "Cecile" wasn't very forgiving though.
"Crimeny!" Helga yelled, blowing her cover and not realizing it. "Can't you watch where you're going you stupid waiter! You could have drowned me!"
Arnold stopped wiping at "Cecile's" skirt and looked up at her with shocked eyes. 'It can't be…!' he thought as she kept yelling.
It wasn't until Helga stopped yelling that she realized her mistake. She looked at Arnold with wide eyes and she couldn't seem to say anything to him. She saw the hurt in his eyes and she chose instead to run away, crying, more embarrassed than she had ever been in her life.
Arnold, on the other hand, was too embarrassed to stay. He ran home, hoping the cool air of the night would cool down his hot face.
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Ashley saw them leave and she was left with her mouth hanging open. 'What happened!?' she wondered as she turned around to follow Arnold. It would be a better idea to talk to him before Helga because if she did, she would stop Arnold from increasing his anger at Helga.
A figure in front of her stopped her. It was Lila, who just stood there, a cold look in her eyes as she smiled smugly. One of Ashley's brows shot up. "What are YOU doing here?" she asked with coldness as she felt it as well. Only that the feeling of coldness came from Lila and not from Ashley's voice. 'What is this I'm feeling? I get it every time I'm around her.'
Lila's cold smile widened, revealing a single fang. Ashley's eyes widened as wide as Lila's smile. Now she understood! She understood it all! Lila was one of them!
"My dear," Lila said, sending a chill down Ashley's spine, "how rude of you to say such a thing to me."
Ashley concentrated, making a light sword appear in her hand. "Shut up! What are you doing here?!" This time, the question came out for a different reason. Ashley was also glad that she had made herself invisible to the rest of the world. Nobody even noticed them as Ashley yelled.
Lila made a sword appear in her own hand. This sword was as black as night. "I'm here on a mission, just like you. I have already been here for a while, and I was doing quite well on my mission until YOU showed up!" Ashley could see the anger in Lila's eyes.
Ashley got ready for a battle. "I won't allow a 'Debiru' like you to interfere with my mission! Those two are meant to be together and you will not stop me from setting them up together. When they are both together, they are happy, and that happiness will spread-"
"Which is why I must stop them from getting together!" Lila interrupted. "If they are together, the happiness will spread, and that will not please my master!" She also got ready in the fighting position. "And now one of us must die or else it will mean only chaos for either of us."
Ashley smiled cunningly. "Fine with me. One less Debiru to worry about."
Neither moved for a while, the wind swirling around them. Sweat poured down from Ashley's forehead from fear. Ashley had always heard about the strength of the Debiru's but she had always hoped that she would never have to deal with one. Still, it was a good thing she still got the training she needed in order to defeat them. She was the best in her class.
Finally, Lila made the first move, advancing towards Ashley with an evil grin on her face. Her sword was poised out in front of her, targeted towards Ashley's stomach. Ashley saw this move and she waited until Lila was merely inches from her before she leapt up in the air gracefully and knocked Lila down by stepping on her head.
Lila landed on the ground, face first, and quickly picked herself up. She smiled her evil grin again before she evaporated into thin air. Ashley knew that move. She folded her hands into a prayer position and concentrated. 'Ye old gods, show me the light.'
Through Ashley's mind, she was able to spot Lila, who was gathering her energy for a life-threatening attack. Ashley ran over and struck Lila with the hilt of her sword, knocking Lila down and revealing her. As she lay on the ground, weak and vulnerable, Ashley prayed again. 'Ye old gods, send the accursed devil to where she belongs, where she cannot hurt another soul ever again.'
Lila screamed in pain as her true form was revealed…a puff of black, evil smoke, capable of entering your body and damaging your pure soul.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Lila asked in a weak voice as she started to disappear.
Ashley's face was gravely serious. "Because I am not a soulless evil creature like you Debiru's."
Lila completely disappeared and Ashley got rid of her light sword. With that taken care of, Ashley ran towards Arnold's house.
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It had only been a couple of minutes since Arnold ran from the restaurant. Yet the embarrassment still lingered. He could feel people laughing at him, even if there was nobody nearby. He had stopped at the entrance of his house, not bothering to enter. The cold air felt good on his slightly flushed face. It calmed him a little.
Arnold recalled the scene repeatedly in his head as the moon hid behind some clouds. He could hear the owls hoot not to far away.
'What an idiot I've been!' Arnold thought angrily as he ran a hand through his soft, cornflower hair. 'I should have known that it was Helga behind that mask. That's why Cecile felt so familiar.'
He sat down on the cold, cement steps. Arnold felt a single tear fall from his face and land on his hand which was positioned in his lap. He wiped it away angrily. 'She doesn't deserve my tears! She's a liar!'
"You're wrong Arnold," a soft, familiar voice said in front of him. Arnold looked up and saw Ashley as she stood with her hands folded behind her.
Arnold turned away from her. "What are you doing here?"
Ashley sat down beside him, hoping she could fix what was broken. "I'm here to help," she answered in a soft voice. A dog ran past them and Arnold wished could run away from all of this like that dog was running. "You saw, didn't you?" he asked, even more embarrassed than before.
Ashley placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Arnold…I was the one who set the two of you up."
Arnold looked at her with widened eyes. "Y-You!? Then you knew the whole time! You knew about her being Cecile!"
"Arnold," Ashley softly started, "Do you want to know the real reason I'm here?"
Arnold looked skeptical. "What do you mean? You aren't an exchange student?"
Ashley shook her head with remorse. She didn't want to reveal her true identity but it was crucial. She didn't have a lot of time left here on Earth. "The truth is Arnold…I'm a specific type of angel known as "Ai Enzeru" which is Japanese for "Love Angel".
Arnold's eyes widened as he stood up and backed away a little. "W-What!?!"
Ashley nodded as she stood up. "I'm a love angel who comes down to Earth to put two people together. We do this for two reasons: One, the two people we set up together are destined to be and we know that they'll be happy together for the rest of their lives, and two, because when two people who are in love are together, their happiness spreads, making us stronger. With that strength, we hope to defeat the "Debiru's" which is Japanese for 'Devils'. They want to take over the world and only when we get everybody happy, can we stop them."
Arnold held a hand to his head, trying to calm all that he had in his head, making his brain feel like it was going to explode. He couldn't believe this was true.
Ashley seemed to read his mind because she answered his doubt. "Did you hear that Wolf Gang is afraid of me?"
Arnold looked up at her, thinking about it. He had heard so he merely nodded.
"Do you know why he's afraid?"
"All I heard was that it was because you were a witch. He said that you used some sort of magic on-" Arnold cut himself short, finally believing. "Oh…"
Ashley nodded. "That's right. I used my angelic powers to stop him from hurting anymore kids. He's a bully who needed to be taught a lesson. Unfortunately, I think that once he realizes that I'm gone, he'll start all over again."
Arnold didn't respond. He heard what she said, but he didn't respond. Once she was done talking, the silence engulfing them both, he started to think about Helga and all that was associated with her. He had thought that Helga had dated him as a way to make a fool out of him, but when he remembered the way she ran out the restaurant crying, he realized that it couldn't be true. Especially if it was Ashley who had set them up. Maybe the date even helped him to realize that Helga wasn't what she seemed to be. Sure, she acted like a bully on the outside, but many times, she showed Arnold the kind, gentle girl she truly was. It helped him to sort out the feelings he got whenever she was near and also fit as the last puzzle piece to the whole 'secret admirer' stuff. It helped to explain many things, lifting a grand weight from Arnold's shoulders.
He flinched when he felt Ashley's hand on his shoulder. It was as if she could read her thoughts. "Go to her Arnold. It's the only way to cure the pain you feel in your heart, not to mention fill the void."
Arnold looked at her and smiled while nodding. He got up and ran while Ashley vanished with the night air. 'Good luck you two.' She whispered it into the wind as it carried her home. She erased herself from their thoughts completely.
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Helga sat on the cold steps of her house, crying her eyes out as she held herself tight, rocking back and forth as she cried. She was glad no one was around to see her cry. Her sister was off on some trip as usual and her parents weren't even home. What she didn't like was that it began to rain, soaking her to the bone. The house was locked and she was forced to stay out her. The only place she could go was Phoebe's and Helga didn't even want to go to her house because she didn't want to explain anything.
Helga cursed Arnold's name under her breath, calling him stupid for never realizing how she truly felt about him. He was smart, so why couldn't he figure it out? Big Patty was able to figure it out, and she wasn't as smart as Arnold was.
Her crying subsided and she was beginning to thank the rain for melding with her tears, hiding any signs of crying. Maybe it was best if she went over to Phoebe's. She got up to leave but stopped when she noticed Arnold in front of her, as drenched as she was. He was standing at the bottom of the steps with his hands in his pockets, a sedate look on his face.
Helga frowned at him, or at least tried to, but all that appeared on her face was a hurt, pained expression. She walked and tried to pass by him without a word by as she did, Arnold made a shot to grab her arm and pull her into his arms. Helga was shocked, her eyes as wide a plates. Arnold only smiled impishly.
"A-A-Arnold? What are you doing football head?" she said, sounding a more surprised than angry.
She turned crimson when Arnold held her tight against him. "I love it when you call me that," Arnold responded in a low tone of voice.
Helga was left breathless. She couldn't speak. She was beginning to feel hot in the face. She was grateful for the chilly air which calmed the heat in her face.
Arnold pulled away from her slightly, and looked into her beautiful blue eyes that seemed to grab his soul. Then, he leaned in towards her face, as he had done in the restaurant. Only this time, he finished reaching. They kissed in the most blissful kiss they've ever experienced. It felt like heaven.
"I love you," Arnold whispered against her mouth as he held her tight, trying to grab on for dear life before he melted with the kiss. Both of them felt like they were going to melt if they didn't hold on tight. To both Arnold and Helga, this moment felt right, as if they've been waiting their entire lives to have it.
Helga responded to him with the exact words as she kissed him deeper. Only one word flashed through their minds: 'Perfect'.
The end! (Or is it?)
La la la la!! I'm done with this fanfic finally. Yay! I hope you all liked it. Now you know that I hate Lila and that I wish she was really a devil sent to Earth to separate Arnold and Helga. Hmm…Perhaps that's true…
Well, send me some feedback. I'd love to hear from you. Did you really like it? I tried to make the last part as best as possible but I won't know for sure unless you don't review. Drop me a line in by e-mailing me also.
I left that last line because I'm thinking of writing a sequel. I can't guarantee that it will be posted anytime soon though. I have a bunch of other fanfics to post and I school is going to end soon and I don't have the Internet on my computer. I use the one at school and it stinks that they won't let people use them during summer school
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