Karoshi (過労死).

It translates into overwork death. It was something that happened so frequently that the Japanese had a word for it. The causes of Karoshi death were often, but not limited too - starvation due to poor diet, heart attack induced by stress, stroke from lack of sleep.

And that's most definitely what was happening to Emi at this moment.

She knew she was neglecting her needs. But she couldn't help but pour her heart out onto this assignment that Mari needed to finish by today. But by the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.

She felt panic begin like a cluster of fireworks against her chest. She clutched at her shirt, eyes growing wide as she attempted to stabilize her breathing. Tension grew and spread into her face and her limbs. Her gasps of air turned into sporadic pants, head swirling as she faded in and out of consciousness.

Emi rose to her feet and stumbled to her phone, attempting to balance herself by propping herself against the wall. She stumbled around her room, banging her hip into every corner possible as she clawed her way towards the door.

"Emi, I'm--" the pause came with the sound of a shattering bottle, the glass scattering onto the ground into thousands of glittering pieces. The air felt heavy as Mari sprinted towards the curled up Emi, holding her in attempts to try and gauge what was going on. "Oh my god, oh my god. I'm going to call the police, ok?! Hold on!!"

"No, I'm fine; it's just--" Emi attempted to hoist herself onto her feet but stumbled and fell flat onto her face.

"YOU ARE NOT FINE!!!" she screamed, laying the other on her lap. "How could you let it get this bad?! What were you thinking!"

"I want you to be able to write your book, Mari."

"Why are you talking like that? You're scaring me..."

"I'm serious," Emi laughed, eyes flickering up at Mari. "I feel like I'm going to die."

"Don't say stupid stuff like that."

"It hurts," Emi said, taking a deep breath. Her lip began to tremble, the tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling out and down her face. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."

"Who said you can end it all without me? You're not going to die. Just hold on." Mari's voice sounded stable but it faltered. She did her best to stay as calm as possible, but her tone wavered as she saw the worsening state that Emi was in.  Droplets of Mari's tears began to make their way onto Emi's face.

"I want you to be happy." Emi breathed out softly.

"Stop."

"Be happy, Mari."

"Don't say that."

"I love you."

"You are so selfish; you know that?"

"I'm so proud of you, Mari," she said weakly.

It felt like passing through a cold shower. Every warm feeling in her body was sucked out of her. She drifted into consciousness. And then back out. Then again in, and back out.

The world was a blur, and random images seemed to float into her head aimlessly. She felt her body being hoisted onto a dolly, Mari clutching onto her hand and digging her nails into the skin to leave small half-crescent shapes into her flesh. She couldn't hear anything she was saying, but her mouth was moving.

With her last breath, she interlaced her trembling fingers around Mari's. Eyes full of tears as she smiled up at her. She smiled with her whole heart so as to distract her from the pain. But it hurt. Everything hurt. Her entire body hurt. Her dimples crinkled, and she gave her last bit of warmth she could to Mari before closing her eyes for one last time.

It felt as though she were falling. The last thing she could see was Mari's familiar smile, who's smile twisted a little as though she were emulating a child who was trying not to cry. 

Her entire body was swallowed by unfamiliar darkness that encompassed her being. Surely, if she were hurtling towards the floor, it would kill her if she continued to fall at such a speed.

But it stopped. Not with a halt, but with tenderness.

She was floating now, at the top of a body of water. Her face was barely at the surface, soaked with droplets that began to drip down to her chin. The heat within her has long since hidden itself away deep inside her core, hoarding whatever warmth remains.

But at the same time, it was comforting. It wasn't the worst feeling in the world; in fact, Emi could continue to be in this dreamless state. She was too tired to open her eyes to look at her surroundings, and it felt as though something was weighing down on her shoulders.

It felt as though something was gently nibbling at the soles of her feet, as though it urged her to wake up. It was urging her to remember. Urging her to continue.

But it was so comfortable here, wherever she was. It could've been a few seconds or a few hours. Or it could've been a few days or years. She was unsure of how long she had laid there, in that shallow water.

There was a sudden itch within the back of her brain that she couldn't quite quench. She felt it's persistence growing and growing, as the sound filled her ears— the sound of a feverish frenzied pencil scratching its way across an empty canvas. It sent a jolt down her spine, and Emi finally opened her eyes.

"Wake up." the voice sounded like it were right next to her ear, yet she couldn't begin to comprehend where it had occurred. It was a voice that she had never heard before. As deep as rolling thunder, it rang in her ears and made her head pound.

It felt like a large pair of hands crept up from behind her and pulled her under the water's surface. The water closed in all around her, a sense of anguish and pain filling her entire being. She is sinking, further and further to the bottom, her legs growing tired of fighting the current. She was sent into a frenzied panic, her heart hammering against her ribs. Water fills her nose and sends a sharp stinging sensation into her nasal passageways. She opened her mouth to scream but only emitted a stream of bubbles, struggling with every salty gulp of water. Her vision began to blur, and her brain hesitated, body growing furiously sore as she floated to her bottom, resigning in her fight to survive.