Most people will just shrug it off, I mean, it's just a damn betta fish, right? But it hurts me to see him old and struggling. He can only swim in a vertical position. It's like his tail and dorsal fin went limp, and all he's got to struggle with are his tiny gill fins. He hardly eats, preferring instead to doze upon his plant. I try not to look at his tank too much, but it's kinda hard not to, since it's right here in my room, and I worry about him. I added some fresh water to his tank today, but I'm not sure it's helping. He tried to wiggle around some for me anyway, but fell at last, exhausted, against the leaves of his plant, breathing heavily through swollen gills. I googled the symptoms and it turns out it's old age. Bettas live about two years, three, tops. Gah, it kills me!

Gone is his vivid electric blue glamour of his scales, his fins droop and seem to have gotten smaller. His black eyes don't have that same alert glint that they used to. His color's faded into a dirty baige that's almost creepily transparant. He's leaving me...