The steps leading to the school's rooftop creaked with use as one student made the climb to join another. Though technically the area was off limits to students, security around the prohibited area was lax, a fact that only a certain group of teenagers were aware of.

Chelsea Cloud, age thirteen. A girl who has had more worldly experiences than any of her peers. Traveling from coast to coast, her parents had finally decided to allow her settle within the security of Kadic Junior High as to promote some stability in her life. By sheer chance she met her first friends who would later ask her the deceptively simple question that carried volumes of untold responsibilities.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Soon she found herself on the front lines of a war hidden in the shadows. Locked in a struggle that would determine the fate of the world. Her inexperienced was obvious, yet her courage and determination held firm and she was able to overcome the challenges that dared to come her way.

Chelsea rested both of her feet on the staircase's last step, took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob to greet the one who called her to this place.

"Hey Jin."

The boy was slightly leaning over the banister's edge and turned to face her. True to his nature, he was wearing his headphones and was listening to a song that only his ears listened to. His name was Jin Ishiyama. The older brother of Yumi Ishiyama, one of the original Lyoko veterans. Goofy, spontaneous and a bit dense, Jin did not let his standing as the oldest team member stop him from acting a bit on the immature side. However, he was also kind-hearted and a bit more damaged then he would normally let on which was a trait that all of them had, one form or another.

"Yo Chelsea, glad you could make it," came the Japanese boy's enthusiastic response.

"It was nothing." Chelsea's answer did not have the same amount of vigor as her predecessor's as she still felt a bit uncomfortable talking with him, and with good reason. It had been a week since their first skirmish on Lyoko and already signs of a developing friendship were emerging. He was also the team member that Chelsea had been asked to replace for a short time, an aspect of her membership that she still struggled with emotionally.

"Sorry about having to call you out here on such short notice, but this is important."

The view seen from Jin's eyes also belonged to Chelsea for she too approached the rail to look over the campus.

"I'm all ears," her reply was casual but her inner feelings were anything but.

He closed his eyes and rehearsed his questions in his head before turning he head toward the girl.

"Chelsea, why are you still with us?"

"Huh?"

No longer was she at the mercy of nervousness. Instead confusion took the helm momentarily before her thoughts sorted themselves out.

"That's easy, to save lives."

She uttered those five words out of reflex and was proud of herself. Indeed that's what she said to herself when she first got into this mess. After hearing about the evil known as XANA, she resolved that she would help out any way she could.

"That's good to hear."

Jin moved his head back to it's original position and idly stared at all the students below him. Chelsea waited for him to say anything else but only heard more silence from him. Assuming that a simple motivation check was all he really wanted, she began to take her leave.

"Is that the only reason why?"

Chelsea spun around only to see the back of Jin's head.

"The only reason?"

By now traces of her temper bubbled to the surface narrowing her eyes and making her tone a bit more forceful.

"Don't get all huffy about it," Jin pleaded as he didn't intend for such a reaction. "Just think for a second. This job is really lousy. The pay is zilch, working conditions are life-threatening, benefits are non-existent and you don't even get the holidays off!"

Though he was joking, Jin was absolutely correct in wanting to probe deeper into her motivations. There was indeed another reason why she stayed to fight another day but she pushed those thoughts aside. That reason was shallow and self-serving and if she revealed them her reputation among her friends would be tarnished.

"I don't understand why you're asking me these things. I don't need another reason."

Chelsea's temper rose another notch to compensate for her uneasiness with the question. All of preconceived ideas about Jin were crumbling. He wasn't acting like a friend, he was acting like a total jerk.

"Unlike some people I won't stop to think of why I'm helping my friends out whenever they're in trouble. I'll gladly risk my life for Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, Aelita and even..." she sighed. "Yumi."

Jin's ears picked up the subtle change in the girl's voice when she mentioned his sister's name and caused him to immediately turn around to face her. The tone she used, it sounded almost as if she was disgusted.

"Chelsea, not to change the subject, but is there a problem that you and my sister are having that I don't know about?"

"No, it's more like she has the problem with me."

"I don't see why. The only person Yumi really has an ax to grind with is Sissi and that's because of..."

At that instant Jin saw the truth, the dots in the clues that Chelsea left behind were connected and the bigger picture was revealed. His eyes mellowed from their astonished look to a more relaxed and serious one.

"You went into Lyoko so that you could spend more time with Ulrich. That's it, isn't it?"

Chelsea's secret that she tried so desperately to defend was unearthed within the span of just a few sentences. She hated to admit it but in retrospective having such a desire explained her single-minded focus and why she couldn't help but harbor ill feeling toward Yumi.

"Yes," she said with her head bowed down.

"Of all the selfish reasons," Jin said with contempt.

Now he crossed the line. There was no way she was going to let such a comment like that slide by.

"How dare you judge me like this! I risk my life just as much as the others so I demand to be treated with the same amount of respect! Just because I'm new does not mean you can bully me around."

"It's safe to say that you'll fit right in with us."

That was something she did not expect. She anticipated something much worse. A verbal assault to her character but not acceptance.

"Wait, you're not mad?"

Jin pressed his weight against the banister.

"We're just like you. Everyone in our group has their own personal motivations on why we want to see XANA buy the virtual farm. Of course none of us want to see any innocent people get hurt but there are other factors we keep in mind."

"Personal motivations?" Chelsea repeated. This had been the first time she considered that the others had ulterior motives.

"Yumi stayed with the others because she had no friends. Abandoning the fight from XANA would mean that she would return to a life of social solitude. Jeremie fights to free Aelita from his grasp and to help her discover her lost memorieswhich is also why she is with us. Then there's Odd who's terminally bored and sees Lyoko as the ultimate source of excitement while Ulrich fights in order to reclaim order in his life."

The girl put her hands on her hips after hearing what Jin had to say. His explanation helped calm her down but it was lacking something.

"What about you?"

"Me? Ah don't waste your time. It's nothing really special."

Normally she wouldn't press deeper, but she figured it was only right since Jin was so insistent in uncovering her secrets. She felt like she had to return the favor.

"I heard about your stay in the United States and how Yumi called you back to help out. I'd like to know about your story just as much.Not too many people make willingly leave home to go to another country by choice only to come back."

Jin gestured with his hand to signal that he wanted Chelsea to stand next to him."

"Over here."

She complied and looked at the view the school's rooftop had for a second time.

"See all of those students down there?"

Chelsea nodded.

"Suppose I just up and quit. Stopped whatever I was doing. One of those people down there could seriously be hurt by my lack of courage. Think of all the lives that would be broken. Those guys have families, loved ones, futures, all of which XANA can rob them from and replace with misery and pain."

Chelsea took a moment to observe the students who were completely oblivious of her presence. This was something Jin was really serious about.

"That sounds like what my first reason was, just more complex." Though the girl was more than eager to turn the tables on him, she was not going to belittle what he just said to get what she wanted.

"You're quiet the nosey one," Jin said frankly.

"It's only fair."

"Maybe some other time."

"I'm not leaving until I find out."

"You don't need to know about it!" Jin yelled at the top of his lungs.

Chelsea had pushed too hard regarding this matter. Jin was always hesitant in talking about his history and now she was seeing the lengths he would go to protecting it. She was fed up with the questioning and being tugged left and right without her knowing why.

"Why Jin? Why? You ask me to come here to analyze every little thing I do, uncover my hidden motives yet you refuse to do the same for me! After you literally yanked the truth from my system! Did you honestly expect me to take this lying down?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU TELL ME! THE ONLY ONE THAT NEEDED TO KNOW WAS YOU!"

By the end of that exclamation Jin was clutching his chest; his breathing labored. Chelsea stood still out of shock, finally seeing that she made a grave error and misread Jin's intentions from the start. He wasn't interrogating her like how a cop baggers a criminal, this was something else.

"One of the marks of a great warrior is that they have a cause worth fighting for. Something that when it's in danger you wouldn't think twice to lay your life on the line to protect. What I wanted to see if you had such a belief in you. Did you honestly think you were just a bench warmer until I came back? We need your strength."

Time stood still for Chelsea. For the first time she was finally aware of how little she knew about what it took to fight XANA. She never really stopped to check herself, to comprehend her own actions. Instead she relied on others as an excuse for why she was here and went with the motions from there. Now she had to fight for herself.

"I'll do anything to protect Ulrich and my friends," the teen said with her newfound confidence.

Jin smiled after hearing that.

"That's good. What I'm trying to say is this. It doesn't matter what your belief is, as long as you're willing to fight for it. Even if you said you would fight against XANA in order to protect all the Ompa Loompas in the world, I could care less. Whatever your belief is, hold it close to your heart and stay true to it."

"So this whole thing was just a test?"

"I know how you got into this mess, you were literally forced into a situation that you could not change on your own and found yourself waist deep in trouble. You had the chance to get on with your life but you choose to stay, I just wanted to see if you knew what you were doing."

That was the purpose of Jin calling her here, it was to test her conviction. No longer would she question her motivations, everything was clear to her.

"It's not that you guys were in trouble that I agreed to all of this. I said yes because you were my friends, period."

"Having a belief in your heart grants you more than just courage. XANA has been getting stronger and whatever you have to give to the team then do so. I don't have much to offer." Jin held his arm in front of his face. "To tell you the truth, I'm quiet weak myself always getting hurt and all but whatever I do have, I'll gladly let the others use if it's for the right cause. One lends his bravery; another his optimism. One is not so smart but grants us his intelligence. All while two girls give us their determination and willpower. Analyze yourself, find what you can offer and do so. Before you can trust us, you have to trust yourself."

"What about us?" Chelsea asked, anxious to see what the two members added to the mix.

"You have spirt while I have a mean roundhouse kick." Jin chuckled at the less-than-stellar trait he specialized in.

"Still though, now that you know, you're going to hate me for making your sister jealous."

"It's obvious that I'll do anything to protect Yumi but that's only when things arise to a certain point where I have to intervene. Ulrich is his own person and will choose the person that he thinks is right. If you can avoid the drama then it's ok with me. However, if you and my sister will ever be in a disagreement, I'll be more inclined to take her side."

"I understand."

Chelsea wondered if any of the other team members underwent similar experiences before her introduction to the Lyoko Group or was this a case of one new person helping out another. The answer didn't really matter.

"Sorry for digging in areas that I shouldn't"

"And I'm sorry for yanking your chain around just to prove my point."

"Well I guess that's it then."

"Yep, go say hi to the others for me ok?"

"Will do."

When she first approached the rooftop's steps Chelsea was more than a bit hesitant for what was in store for her but now she returned to her room with a better understanding of both her friends and herself.

END

Words from the Author

I thought I owed it to her to write another piece as she's done so much for me so it was the least I could do.

The chapter was something I thought her fic needed, a bonding moment between the two newest Lyoko team members while at the same time exploring Chelsea's character just a tad bit more. I remember reading a few reviews of her story saying that they wished that Chelsea was a bit more developed so in response to those comments I have this whipped up