Chapter Two: A New, Old Friend?

It had been a few days since Donatello received the letter. He hadn't shared the information with his brothers yet, but as a way to confirm the letter, he had been sneaking out each night to see if the girl kept true to her word. Sure enough, for the past few nights, he would stake out the alleyway and each night, the girl would be there waiting. She wasn't always dressed nice, but for the most part, it seemed as though she just came from a fancy party of some kind.

He watched her cautiously, trying to determine if this could be a trap for him somehow, but so far all he observed was a young girl waiting in the cold. The techy turtle was starting to feel a little guilty for that. After all, she was waiting for him. Each night she would show up and wait for hours, looking around anxiously in hopes to see him. Finally, after watching her for a while, Donatello determined nothing was to be gained from it. He'd meet her and perhaps he'd get answers then.

Tonight, Donatello stood at the rooftop above the alleyway in which she promised to wait, determined to meet with her this time. Still, he found he was actually a little nervous. This girl may have made a mistake. What if he was not what she expected? It was no secret that he wasn't the best when it came to girls, even if this wasn't a date or anything, it felt quite similar. He felt a little sick now.

As the turtle grappled with his nerves, he heard footsteps in the distance. Heels clicked against the pavement, the sound echoing in the streets while the woman approached the alley. She wore a fancy black trench coat, her hair curled and done up in a ponytail. Once again, it appeared as though she had come from an event of some some kind. Clearly, this girl had money. Like the nights before, Donatello observed her walk slowly to the end of the alley and stood by the wall to wait.

Donnie waited a few minutes and gathered his courage, taking a deep breath before he decided to finally take a leap and meet this girl. He jumped down onto the street and peeked into the alley cautiously. Aria took notice of the sudden movement, but seemed unable to clearly make out what it was.

"Hello?" She called out softly.

Donnie exhaled quietly and stepped out into view, holding his breath a little while he looked at the young girl. He could finally see her face. The girl had bright emerald eyes that seemed to shine when she caught sight of Donatello and freckles laced her nose. She was quite lovely actually. It didn't help his nerves. A girl like this was waiting for him out here in the cold? He opened his mouth to speak, but before he was able to speak, the young woman had dashed forward and wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking the shocked turtle backward.

"Gah-" exclaimed Donatello as he placed a hand on her back, trying to steady himself to make sure they didn't fall.

"You came!" Aria began happily, pulling back so that she could see his face. "I'm so happy!"

Donatello blushed furiously when he looked down at the girls face. She seemed so happy to see him and it wasn't as if he was used to girls just throwing themselves at him like this. "U-uh yeah, I did...heh..." He stammered a bit, placing his hands on her shoulders to gently push her from him. "...I uh-I got your letter."

Though Aria was slightly disappointed that he had pushed her away, she didn't seemed deterred. She smiled once again, beaming happily at the techy turtle. "I was so worried you had left the city or something. I'm so relieved that my gift reached you. Did you like it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away awkwardly, "I-I did. Thank you. I uh...I appreciate the gift and all...but um..." His voice trailed off a bit, unsure how to tell this girl that he didn't know who she was. She looked so happy that it made him feel like a jerk for not knowing.

As Donatello contemplated how to break it to her, Aria was busy digging into her pocket. She pulled out a small braclet with a tiny diamond star charm. "Look, I brought it with me." Aria exclaimed as she held it out for Donnie to see. He glanced down at the braclet with a blank stare, unsure exactly what significance it had for him. The way he looked at the braclet seemed to register with Aria. Her smile faded and her hands dropped slightly as she looked down at her feet. "You...you don't remember?" She asked quietly, clearly crestfallen over this discovery.

The turtle panicked now, her mood changed so rapidly that he wasn't sure what to do. April didn't shift that fast. "U-uh! I'm...a little fuzzy on a few things." He answered, trying his best to ease her mood somewhat.

"If you remembered...you would have..." Aria trailed off and a silence formed between them until she shook her head and looked back up at the turtle. "It's okay that you don't remember right now. At least you're here."

"But...when did we meet? I mean, I don't know what I did to deserve a gift or..."

Aria placed the braclet back in her pocket and shook her head again, "I'm gonna keep that a secret," she replied with a smile. "...I believe that you'll remember me. ...in time. I'm just so grateful you're here. ...perhaps...we could get reaqauinted? I came back to the city in order to see you after all."

Donatello smiled a little. She was clearly upset, but she was also trying. He should do the same. "Well...I guess there's no harm in that." He agreed.

Aria's eyes lit up at once and though it looked as if she wanted to hug him again, she held herself back and simply extended her hand, "My name is Aria Dawn."

The turtle felt much more at ease now, though still slightly concerned. He reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Donatello Hamato."

Aria pulled her hand from his slowly, never taking her eyes from his. "This may be a lot to ask, but could we meet again? I mean...not in an alleyway, but perhaps somewhere we can talk a little more? Is there an easier way to contact you?"

"Oh uh, I have a phone..." Started Donatello.

"Wonderful! Here, Lets exchange numbers." Aria insisted, getting into her purse and pulling out her own cellphone.

Since he didn't see the harm in that, he took out his T-phone and the two exchanged numbers. He was actually glad he did so after seeing Aria's face. After she entered his number into her phone, she looked so pleased, hugging her phone to her chest a bit.

"Um...so...you're not upset with me?" He asked, placing his phone back into his belt.

Aria looked up at him in silence for a moment, as if wondering what to say. "...I probably just expected too much, but that doesn't matter. I'm confident that it will come back to you. ...besides...you came to see me...and that means the world to me right now."

Donatello blushed and averted his eyes from her face awkwardly. "I was curious. So-heh, you know..."

"Now that I'm back in the city, we can see one another a lot more. I'd love to have you over sometime." Aria said happily.

"Have me over? Well I-"

"Oh don't worry! I mean, of course we will have to get reaqauinted first. ...well...I should head back for now. ...if I'm gone too long...well it wouldn't be good."

"Oh! Um...d-do you need help getting home?" Donatello asked, not entirely sure what to do. Dealing with girls was not his strong suit and this girl seemed to be very fond of him. It threw him off a little, making him more nervous than he should have been. After all, April was the girl he loved.

Aria beamed at the turtle happily when he offered such a thing, but she shook her head. "No thank you, but it was very sweet of you to ask. ...but...would it be okay if I asked a small favor of you?"

"Like what?" Donatello asked.

Aria's cheeks tinted a light pink just before she leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to Donatello's cheek. Her kiss lingered there for a moment of two before she pulled back and quickly lowered her head to hide her face. "If you'll just...forgive me for that..." She said quietly, dashing off and heading out to the street. "I'll speak with you soon, Donatello! I promise!"

Donatello was completely shocked still, staring wide eyed at nothing as he heard the click of Aria's heels fading away while she ran. He certainly hadn't expected anything like that. He shook his head to try and gather himself. This girl...she was certainly something he was not expecting at all. This was the first time a human girl had been so affectionate with him on their first meeting. Was it actually possible that a human girl would be so fond of him? After all...even April seemed to prefer human males. Donatello took a deep breath and smiled a little. At the very least, he had made a new friend, right?

Aria had run off down the block until she approached a black car, not breaking her stride as she opened the door to get in the back seat.

"Were you able to meet your friend, young miss?" The driver asked causally.

"...I did..." Aria began, pulling out the star charm braclet once more and gazing down at the piece of jewelry in her hand. "After all this time...I can finally fulfill my promise."

"That's wonderful, Miss. Now let's get you home. You must attend to-"

"I know what I have to do," interrupted Aria quietly, "...don't worry. I haven't forgotten. For now though...I just want to focus on Donatello. He needs to remember his promise...he just has too...before it's too late..."

The driver said nothing more. He only nodded his head and started the car, pulling away from the curb to drive Aria back home. As she was driven along the street, Aria leaned her head against the window and sighed. "He just has to remember me..." She whispered to herself, clutching the braclet gently in her hand. "He just has to..."

A/N: Chapter two is done and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think so far. I also love hearing your theories about the plot. What do you think of Aria? Do you think Donatello can trust her? Hmmm. Well I love you all and I can't wait to see you in the next chapter! See you next time! :)