Well, I have to say that I owe all of my fans a HUGE apology (and to those of you who have been reading for 5 years, you are by far the best of all my fans and I owe you even more). I let this cliffhanger hang for WAY too long. But as I keep professing to you over and over, this story will be completed. So without further hesitation, here is chapter 13 of When Fire Burns Blue….

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I felt a single tear stream down my cheek as I gazed in wonder at Aeris, whose body was slightly transparent and giving off a warm glow as she floated in front of us all. Everyone's face had a look of confusion and surprise; no one spoke. A warm breeze began blowing all around our circle where we sat in the forest. Under the trees near their trunks, hundreds of small balls of light appeared that were no bigger than the size of one karat diamonds. They began twinkling and dancing all around, as if there were fireflies playing tag in the soil. Whatever these glowing balls of light were, they seemed to be dancing for Aeris. She looked at each of us in turn, and when her eyes drifted towards Cloud, her spirit seemed to glow slightly brighter. After addressing each of our group with a smile, including Sephiroth, she turned to me.

"Tifa, I have been waiting for some time to be able to see you all again. However, I do not have much time." Her voice had a musical tone as she spoke.

"In the lifestream, I have felt your struggles. I have also felt the cells of Jenova longing to reach the Promise Land, where they will longer be controlled by Hojo. What Sephiroth has revealed to you is true; the cells are indeed headed towards the Promise Land, and Hojo will do whatever it takes to find it."

As Aeris spoke, my eyes drifted over to Sephiroth, who was watching her with great intensity. His eyes glowed greener than I had ever seen, from now back until our first encounter when I was a little girl. It was almost as if the Jenova cells in his body were aching to leave through his eyes. My gaze wandered over to Cloud and Vincent in curiosity. My eyes widened as I saw their eyes glowing almost as brightly as Sephiroth's were. I turned back to Aeris and stared into her green eyes as she spoke.

"What Hojo is unaware of is the Promise Land does not have just one entrance," Aeris explained. "For those who are searching for the Promise Land and have the ability to enter, an entry way will not be far." Aeris did not break eye contact with me as she said these words.

I finally was able to exhale after holding my breath through Aeris' short speech. I was shocked at the fact that the Promise Land had more than one entrance. Hojo would have a much easier time finding an entrance if there was more than one. This thought was very unsettling to me. However, something about what Aeris said confused me.

"Aeris," I started. "What do you mean when you say those people who 'have the ability' to enter the Promise Land? Isn't anyone allowed in who finds it?"

Aeris smiled sweetly. "Those who have the key or the power within themselves may enter. However, those who have used their power to look for the Promise Land and try to enter will be unable to enter."

A glimmer of hope rose in my chest when I heard Aeris speak these words. Sephiroth had told us that Hojo had taken cells from Sephiroth to search for the Promise Land. This must mean that even if Hojo finds the entrance, he wouldn't be able to enter. I sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Aeris, does Hojo know that he will be unable to enter the Promise Land?" I asked.

Aeris gave a solemn look. "Hojo is not looking to enter the Promise Land as Sephiroth had thought." She gave a quick glance to Sephiroth, who looked perplexed. "Hojo is looking to destroy the Promise Land."

The silence that fell after Aeris' revelation was tangible. Hojo was not looking to enter the Promise Land and live happily ever after, he wanted to tear it to shreds.

"But why would he want to do that?" Sephiroth asked.

Aeris took a deep breath and continued. "If Hojo were to succeed in destroying the Promise Land the Planet would slowly deteriorate, and the Lifestream would slowly dry out. The planet would begin to die bit by bit, and the only way it could remain livable is with very strong cells. These cells would have to be injected in every tree, every flower, every animal, and every person living on the planet. If they were not injected, they would gradually perish."

The puzzle pieces were slowly coming together to form the big picture. When we were locked in the cavern with Hojo and his men, I had heard him talking to Cedric. But what I didn't tell everyone was what I had realized after listening to their conversation: Hojo had said he would "tighten a few hinges" because he created Cedric. And he must have used an injection to keep him alive, knowing that the planet would die once he destroyed the Promise Land. He has already begun injecting his creations for when the planet was destroyed. The last piece of the puzzle….

"Aeris, is Hojo planning on injecting Jenova cells from his own body into others?" I shuddered as I spoke.

"Yes." As gentle as her voice was her words were sharp as an arrow.

I turned to the group, who were all looking rather pale. "I heard Hojo talking while we were locked up," I started. "He has already been injecting people with his cells. I heard him talking to Cedric. When Cedric answered Hojo, he called him 'master'. That must be why wants to destroy the Planet….once he does, he can be in control of every living being….Aeris, is that true?" Aeris looked down and nodded.

My gaze met each of my friends, each face looking more distressed than the next. As I focused behind my team, I saw that the balls of light had stopped moving around the tree trunks and had inched closer and closer to our circle. However, they did not get any closer to us once they reached about two feet away. It was almost as if the breeze that was encircling us was keeping the lights from entering, and instead they surrounded us and almost seemed to listen to the conversation we were having. Even though this breeze comforted me, I still started to feel dizzy, as I have many times before. Aeris seemed to notice this and spoke once more.

"The lights that you see surrounding us are not cells from Hojo, but from Sephiroth." Everyone turned towards Sephiroth as Aeris continued, looking at each of us as she spoke. "These cells have been attempting to protect you throughout your journeys, and they too have been seeking out the Promise Land, in order to return home. However, those cells that are from within Hojo are deadly, and are amongst this Planet. As Hojo has instructed them, they wish to invade the Promise land and destroy it."

Aeris' eyes landed on me. "Tifa, you must keep Hojo's cells away from the entrance; if not, they will destroy the Promise Land and Hojo will be able to carry out his plans to take over the Planet. He is looking for you because he suspects that you are the key to an entrance."

Aeris then turned to Sephiroth and spoke quickly. "Sephiroth, your cells have been following you and have been protecting you since your journey from Hojo's lab; they will battle the cells from Hojo. Those injected will be able to feel when they are near. Make sure that you are ready to release your cells to destroy his." Aeris gave Vincent a look. Vincent nodded as if he understood.

My head was spinning. "Aeris," I stammered. "I don't know where the entrance is! How will I keep his cells away?"

Aeris' transparent body began to fade. "It's close to home, and close to your heart and soul. When it's time, you will know." Her voice echoed through the air as the breeze, the lights, and Aeris dissolved into the night.

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My necklace lay limp around my neck, and felt strangely cool. Both Aeris and the breeze were gone, and the lights that had surrounded us faded with our beloved friend. I still felt light-headed, but I suppose that was understandable considering all the information that was thrown at us. I glanced over at Cloud, who looked both determined, and deeply saddened. I could understand how he felt; losing Aeris twice must have been the hardest thing he's ever had to do. Glancing at each member of our circle, I saw that everyone was staring at the spot where Aeris had disappeared….everyone except for Sephiroth. His eyes, though not as bright as while Aeris was here, were burning deep into mine. His expression was indiscernible.

Barret broke the silence. "We've spent so much effort and time trying to find Hojo, but he was on his way to us all along…well, to you…"Barret looked at me with concern.

A chill ran down the back of my spine. "I have no idea why he would; I haven't a clue where the Promise Land's entrance is. And even if I did, it wouldn't matter…Hojo can't get in, only his cells can."

"So why on earth would he need to know where the entrance is if his cells could find it for him?" asked Cloud.

Vincent stood up and brushed his cloak off. "We don't know how many cells are out of his body looking for the entrance. He must need a lot of cells to be able to destroy the Promise Land…the more cells he has to send in, the faster the process is."

"So that must be why he's looking for the entrance," interrupted Yuffie. "He'll be able to remove cells right on site!"

Cid used his hands to push himself up and leaned on a nearby tree. "If Hojo is after this damn entrance, according to Aeris, Tifa is where to find it…so maybe the best thing to do is just wait for him or his bloody cells to find us, and then kick all of their asses." Barret nodded in agreement.

Sephiroth remained quiet throughout this whole conversation, which worried me. I walked over to where he was still sitting in his place and sat down next to him. "What do you think?"

Sephiroth turned to me. "I'm wondering… if Hojo can control his cells, maybe…"