Xiu’s slumber had been long and dreamless, a vast black canvas that had been devoid of all sound and color. She hadn't even been aware that she had been out cold until her missing consciousness--free from the Voice's bounds--suddenly snapped back to her, effectively "waking" her up. Eyes suddenly sliding open, the baku groggily sat up and regarded her dark, empty surroundings with confusion.

"Where--...am I sleeping?" She lifted a hand to clutch at her head, brows furrowing as she tried to recall what had happened. The last thing she remembered was going to the Haunted House with Shun, encountering two hunters, and then...

...? And then? The memory flickered like a television with bad reception, the picture blurring and the sound growing staticky and inaudible at certain points. Pursing her lips, Xiu rubbed at her temples as she tried to focus on the scene. They had...they had fought--she recalled the large clouds of poisonous gas that had polluted the area--and...

Well, she must have passed out at some point if that was the last thing that she remembered. Brows furrowing, Xiu pushed herself up to her feet and turned to scan the area around her once more. For all she knew, either a few hours may have passed from the time she was knocked out and now, or a few minutes. If the former, she was certain that Shun would have dragged her back to her room or to the nurse's office, but if the latter...well, it wasn't necessarily improbable to assume that her big brother could have still been fighting against those two hunters.

Better hurry back, just in case.

The ghoul had just been about to force herself awake when she was suddenly aware of something moving towards her, a pale figure that stood out against the dark backdrop. At once, she was on the alert, her ears perking up slightly and her tail lashing behind her as she warily watched the stranger approach. As they got closer, she began to lift her fists in a defensive position, only to drop them in surprise when she realized who it was.

"Who...?" Xiu stared at her mirror image with wide eyes, slowly straightening back up when her doppelganger offered her a small smile and a shake of her head. Although still a little wary, Xiu could not deny that she did not give off the same aura that most dream invaders did. In addition, her presence didn't feel threatening, but rather quite...natural, as if she somehow belonged in this dream world.

"About time you woke up, Xiu." The fragment teased, her lips curving into a smile, "You put your friends through a hell of a lot of trouble, you know. I'm glad to see that you're fine, though."

Trouble? What trouble? It was obvious that her confusion was written all over her face, as the fragment took one look at her expression and laughed. "It's a long, long story, really--far too long for me to tell you right now. Perhaps I could give you a basic gist should you really be interested, but first..." She let out a thoughtful hum, crossing her arms over her chest, "Do you think you could you do me a favour when you wake up?"

"A...a favour? I--wait, you still didn't answer me! Who are you?"

"I'm you," The former King answered easily, giving an airy wave of her hand, "Or a small fragment of you, rather. A little piece that was torn away from your memories and given life, but not meaning." There was a short beat of silence, and then her voice took on a chipper tone. "But anyways, the favour! When you get out of here...could you punch Shun for me, please?"

Xiu had been trying to wrap her head around the whole fragment thing, so the request had caught her completely offguard. All that she could say in response was a deadpan, "What."

The silver-clad Xiu let out a little laugh, and it startled the baku to hear the noise come from someone else's mouth. "Just tell him that it was from his King, and I'm sure he'll understand. Though..." Her expression softened, and as did her voice as she continued, "Make sure to also tell Shun, Gene, Riley, and Levi that I'm grateful for all their help. Maybe I didn't appreciate it at the time, but it's probably because of them that I'm able to meet you like this. They're good people."

Xiu--the real Xiu--still looked pretty confused, but after a moment of silence, she simply shook her head and offered her reflection a tentative--but warm--smile. "I won't deny that I'm lucky to have them. I...I'm not sure what exactly they did, but I'm glad that they could help you."

A little frown tugged at her lips then, and she looked over her twin with scrutinizing eyes. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was a kind of...melancholic air around the ghoul who stood in front of her. A kind of sadness, uncertainty, an ache, and seeing this brought forward her desire to help and alleviate the other's suffering. Before she could even really process what she was doing, the baku abruptly stretched her hand out to the fragment, "Are you lost?"

"What?" This time, it was the fragment's turn to look surprised, the look in her eyes uncertain as her gaze flickered between the baku's face and her outstretched hand.

"Sorry, I just thought...there's something about the look in your eyes that seems to betray some kind of lonliness. I don't really know what happened, and I don't completely understand this fragment thing, but you said that you were once a part of me, right?" She tilted her head, smiling faintly when she received a small nod of confirmation, "Do you have a home? Friends? A place to go?"

Slowly, the fragment shook her head. "No, we...we all said our final goodbyes. I just thought I'd drop by and check up on you, ask you to do me those two favours, and then...disappear, but..." Her gaze fell back down to the outstretched hand, her voice suddenly growing fainter, "Are you...?"

Xiu nodded, her voice soft but with a cheerful lilt to it. "I'm not sure if you'd be willing to come back, but at the very least, know that you don't have to be alone. Maybe you can come help me watch over and protect my friends with me!"

The former Red King pressed her lips into a thin line, hesitantly lifting her hand and stretching it out towards Xiu's. Before their fingers touched, however, she froze and glanced up, nervous pink eyes meeting the baku's. "You'd really have me back? Should you really be willing to accept me back, I..."

When she trailed off, Xiu simply smiled. "I am. Welcome home, and thank you for taking care of everyone in my absence!"

The fragment's expression relaxed, a smile spreading over her lips as she finally reached out to take the outstretched hand. Upon contact, there was a sudden burst of light, and Xiu had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sudden flurry of memories that filled her mind. A kingdom, a tournament, a battle. Struck down by friends, meeting the pillars, climbing the tower--one by one, memories of the life and existence of her fragment began to fill her mind.

When the rush of images suddenly stopped, Xiu found that she was alone. Her doppelganger was nowhere to be seen, but when she lifted a hand and held it over her heart, she found that she felt a little more complete than she had previously, as if the missing part of her had finally been returned.

For a while, Xiu simply stood there silently, taking some time to mull over the memories that her other self had shown her. King of the Red Kingdom, hmm? Making a note that she would have to get the full story from one of her four friends, the ghoul decided that it was high-time to get out of here and finally wake up. Letting out a little sigh, she closed her eyes and focused.

And in the real, waking world, Xiu's eyes finally began to flutter after her long sleep.