oh i made myself sad

The beeps of the machines cut through the quiet of the low-lit room in which the old Hunter lay. It had been a long time, now. A part of her still wished she could have stayed young somehow, too. But it couldn't be helped. An early life of stupid mistakes got her here and she was lucky, very lucky, to be here beyond age forty or so.

It had been a long time since that stupid train metaphor in that little apartment. And she hadn't lied. She had stayed with her until the end. She was happy for that. It had taken years of therapy to deal with the trauma her early childhood had inflicted. She was glad she had gotten the chance to make peace with the old preacher man. He wasn't so bad after all... but that, too, was a long time ago.

It was silent, besides the faint beeping of the ECG machine. She wondered if her love could bear to see her like this. Laying here, old and haggard, waiting for the end. At least it was a little bit dignified. Nothing huge had happened to her that left her unable to wipe her own ass. What had, had been seen to by... that odd power. It was rare, to be sure, and that was why her love had chosen to learn it. It had fixed a limb that would have been permanently crippled otherwise. It had fixed a lot of things. Truly a miracle.

The door opened, now.

“Hey...”

“Heh heh... hey...”

“How are you... feeling...?” It was clear by the tone of her voice that this was hard to look at.

“...Honestly? Like it's comin' soon... C'mere. Sit with me...”

“I-if you're sure...”

“I am. C'mon... I want you to be here with me.”

Soon she felt her cold touch against her hand. She'd grown used to it. It wasn't so bad. But as soon as she did, she heard a voice at the back of her mind. It wasn't the collective that usually spoke to Hunters, no. Well, it was in a way. But one voice stood out among the rest of them.

You have done well, Visionary.

What? What the hell kind of Hunting have I done in at least twenty years?

You have lasted through the night and found peace. You have brought safety to many by your way of keeping them in check. For this, we grant you one last power.

A rush of power filled her head, alongside a throng of knowledge. The power to change fates, it whispered, is yours in your final moments. Use it wisely.

She could see it, clearly, in her mind's eye. The branches of fate spread before her, of the ways her love could take. She felt the power to choose it. Some met a brutal end, and she pruned them off the tree. Those would never happen. One, in particular, stood out to her. It was a brief glimpse of another girl, one she recognized, tecognized as herself, someday in the future. She foresaw a a meeting. A reuniting of the most emotional kind.

That one.

That was the fate she chose. She had sworn up and down that they would meet again.

She found herself thanking the Messengers of all things that she would be able to guarantee it.

As suddenly as she had felt the power, she felt her heart begin to slow. She gripped Anya's hand tightly. “Heh heh... hey... I wanna tell you somethin'...”

“Y-yes..?”

“I love you. Like burnin'. And I have since the day we met... Don't forget me, alright...?”

“I love you too... wh-what...? No... surely it's not- I can stop thi-”

“Shhh... Listen. Don't forget me... keep lookin' for me... I'll be back, I promise... and this time, we can be happy forever...”

“No, not now...”

“Hey... hey, it's gonna be okay... I promise....”

“Are you sure--”

“Let's just say I can guarantee it...” Meekly, she took her hand in both of hers. “It's getting' faint... I can see that next life already... just keep lookin', alright... promise me.”

“I...” Anya now knew she was powerless to argue. “I promise...”

“That's the spirit... heh heh... it's time. See you then... I love you.”

“Love you too...”

“S-see you later...”

With a final gasp, her breathing ceased, and the machines went quiet.

She went out with a smile on her face.