From the beginning, there had never been any chance - any way - for them to be.

She was slowly fading away from him. Darkrai gently laid a hand on her wrist, watching as she leaned toward him, eyes closed, peaceful. There was no doubt in his mind. If there was no way for them to exist together, then he would let her go.

He knew. He knew that she didn't love him, never had loved him the way he loved her. She, the symbol of purity - of life, of light - did not know.

And that would never change. It would never, ever change, no matter how much he wished for it.

Alice, he thought. A child who fell into a fairytale. A girl, magicked away from the real world. A woman who cared for me, who saved me from my own darkness. The one who somehow managed to steal my heart.

Alice.