"Well, Alice, if I were to return to my life, my days we're quite numbered. I was sent here as I hung from a rope in my basement. It's either I go back and die alone, or stay here forever, which is too sad for me" He said, frowning and grabbing Alice's shaking hands.
Alice began to cry, "MANA NOOOO! YOU ARE TOO PERFECT TO DIE!"
"What would happen if we go back to our lives together?" Alice hopefully asked the Madhatter.
"Well, in reality, you're 12. Mana is 19" Alice made a sour face at him "That's frowned upon in some places" Mana and Alice turned to the Madhatter and gave him a look of disapproval.
"If Mana leaves here, he is going to die" he coninued. How blunt the Madhatter was being angered Alice and Mana.
"If you were about to die, do you think a miracle would save you? Maybe a split second to untie the noose?" Alice begged, terrified of losing Mana.
"HAHAHA!" The Madhatter let out a hearty laugh.
Alice and Mana were too busy with their conversation to pay any mind to that.
"Alice, my love, I am sorry, but I must leave, my time has come" A single tear slid down Alice's cheek. Looking up at Mana, she begged once more, "Mana, I love you. We can stay here forever."
"I am afraid we cannot." Mana took Alice's hand and brought her over the bridge. "See these people?" Alice stopped and looked at everyone gathered around, "They are here because they wasted their lives dreaming of perfection." Mana said as he put his arm around her, pulling her close "Now they are to suffer an eternal punishment"
"But I have done the same thing... I deserve to be punished too." Alice said to Mana.
"No, you have one thing these people don't. You know why misery is important. And if you hadn't met me, you would go back to the mortal world in a heartbeat." Mana continued, "the Gods reward the miserable, as long as they do not wish for perfection. My time has come." Mana said as he kissed her goodbye. Alice watched Mana disappear.
"If one falls in love, they are allowed to die" Those words flew throught Alice's mind. "What kind of a world is this?" She sobbed.
"A terrible one indeed" A voice called to her. Alice looked down at joyful looking rabbit. "I bet you want out!" He called. Alice stopped for a moment and thought. "Oh yes I do"
"Here! Take this, but you didn't hear it from me" The rabbit handed her a nut. Alice examined it and put it in her mouth.
"ALICE! ALICE" She heard, feeling soft cussions around here. She smelled a hot breakfast awaiting her downstairs. "Alice, time to eat! I'm sorry I treated you so bad yesterday" Alice was so glad to be home with her mother. Just the smell of eggs and toast mad her more happy than any perfect world.
She remembered nothing of the perfect world. As she took a bite of her eggs, she looked down at her Malice Mizer shirt and smiled.
"I think I like it here." She thought to herself, "Perfectly Imperfect."