-3-

They had lost track of time. She didn't know how long she's been sitting with Kira. She didn't know what date it was, or what the weather was outside. For her, it didn't matter. What if she never wakes up? All they would do was to pull the life support and bury her.

"Can souls love?" Irina asked. She had suddenly remembered Jack and the fact that she used to love him—still loves him.

"Have you heard of the term soul mates?" Kira sighed.

She glanced at her, "I don't believe in it."

"But you believe in equals. Soul mates are like that... sort of." Kira answered, "Souls have human qualities. We love, we hate and we hold grudges. We don't have to eat and we don't need to take a bath, but we can get sick and we can die."

"Then why didn't you die when I thought I died?" Irina asked, referring to Kashmir, the day they took Nadia and told her she's dead.

"I was then halfway out of your body, Irina." Her soul answered, "Rambaldi totally replaced me after that day."

Irina turned to face her, "Wait, if you got inside me again, what are you doing here?" she asked quite suspiciously.

"You're in a coma. Your consciousness is not inside your body. I can't stay inside if you're not there."

She gazes at her unconscious self. She wants to see Jack, Sydney and her granddaughter, even if it's just from afar. And she wants is to ask for forgiveness. She doesn't really expect to be forgiven, but at least she will try. After months of being taunted with love, hate, death and clemency, she realized that she doesn't want to end things without closure.

"I don't know how to get back." Irina whispered. What if she died right now?

"Then I'll wait until you figure it out."

Her brows furrowed, "You're not going to leave me?"

"Irina, I had that option for the past twenty-five years. I'm not going to bail out on you now." Kira responded, "It will be unfair to both of us."

They fell quiet. They do this quite often—talking and then falling into silence. It seems that the intellect and the soul have the same temperament.

"Is the saying, 'I'll sell my soul to the devil' true?" Irina asked after a while.

Kira giggled, "Not really. Your soul isn't yours to begin with."

"So, it's a no?"

"Unless the devil gave you immortal life or great power. An immortal doesn't need a soul and a man with an insane degree of power doesn't have any qualms about destroying it. If you sell your soul to the devil, he'll have it until that person dies. He doesn't really buy it if you just want… one million dollars."

"Can I sell you to see Jack and Sydney again? For happiness?"

Kira shrugged, "Probably, but what's the use of happiness if you can't experience it? And besides, happy people die early."

She could feel her sadness, frustration and regret. Maybe if she made her think, Irina might find a way to understand her feelings.

"For you, what is love?" Kira asked and leaned on the bed post.

Irina looked at her soul, "I don't think love was ever meant to be explained."

Kira made a face, "I know that. Love is supposed to be felt. But the question is to pass up time. Humor me."

She shook her head, "Uh, love is… it's a hidden fire… a pleasant sore… a delectable pain…" she trailed off and looked at her self, "…It's an agreeable torment, a sweet and throbbing wound… In short, it's a gentle death."

Kira sighed wistfully, "I couldn't have said it any better."

"I wish I could find a way…" Irina softly said. She bit her lip and her shoulders sagged.

"When you wake up, you can rebuild. If you want to see them, come clean. Tell the truth even if it hurts and even if it's complicated. Don't try to be what you're not. Be yourself."

"You make it sound easy." She replied a bit snidely and looked at her hands longingly.

"You know, try to be optimistic sometimes. Its fun."

-x-x-x-

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