Chapter Text
What were you doing when you were a toddler?
Perhaps you don't remember, or perhaps you remember too well.
Fuwawa Abyssgard, that surname always making her proud even if she doesn't know the reason quite well.
"I am a demon guard puppy, and soon, I'll be the gatekeeper of Heck!" She said often.
But she's still far too young to take the mantle, she's only five years old, still learning how to walk properly, unable to eat by herself, but so adorable in her cute little dress.
Ah, it doesn't matter, it's not like anyone is going to take her role, demon guard dogs tend to be only childs.
Let's begin!
(I wonder why Mama Puppy had to go to the Doctor...)
(Maybe she stayed up all night watching movies, hah...)
(What do you think, Mr Ruffian?)
Grabbing her plushie, she starts doing a very poor job of ventriloquism.
"MaYbE sHe AtE tOo MuCh CanDy"
"Yeah...that makes our tummy hurt..."
Fuwawa giggled, clutching Mr. Ruffian tightly as she lay sprawled out on the soft carpet of the living room. The sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on her as she kicked her tiny legs. Mr. Ruffian's floppy ears drooped as she made him "speak" again.
"But mAyBe... iT's SoMeThInG GoOd?"
Fuwawa paused, tilting her head at the thought. Something good? Mama Puppy had been smiling a lot lately, even when she wasn’t looking. And she had been humming that soft, sweet melody that made Fuwawa feel all warm inside. Was it that good?
The big chair in the living room was far too big for her little frame, her legs swinging back and forth, unable to reach the floor. The sunlight poured through the window, painting the room in warm golden hues. It made the fur on Mr. Ruffian’s fabric shimmer slightly, as if he were really thinking hard about her question.
"But good things don't happen on the Doctor's house..."
"There are needles there, and they're scary..."
Her puppy ears twitched, a sign of her distress. She wriggled in her seat, setting Mr. Ruffian down beside her, and frowned.
Mama Puppy and Papa Puppy had left early that morning, telling her to be good and wait patiently. But patiently was hard.
Being the gatekeeper of Heck meant always knowing things—why wasn’t anyone telling her anything?
She slid off the chair and toddled toward the window, her little dress swishing around her knees.
Pressing her hands against the glass, she looked out at the vast, misty expanse of their world.
Somewhere out there, Mama Puppy was doing something important, something grown-up.
"But it was probably something bad..."
"They didn't wake me up to tell me..."
"They just left this sticky note...but I can't read anything except Mommy and Doctor..."
Fuwawa's breath fogged up the glass as she stared outside, her little brows furrowed in thought. She held Mr. Ruffian close, squeezing him tightly as if he could magically give her all the answers. Her floppy ears drooped slightly, mirroring her growing unease.
"Why didn't they wake me up?" she whispered softly. "I’m the gatekeeper of Heck... I’m supposed to know everything."
She turned from the window, her tiny tail flicking in frustration. The room felt too quiet, too still, as if it was waiting for something big to happen. She glanced over at Mr. Ruffian, now sitting in the middle of the rug, looking just as puzzled as she felt.
"Maybe they think I’m too little to understand," she said aloud, plopping down beside him. "But I’m not too little, right, Mr. Ruffian? I’m five! That’s practically grown up!"
In her mind, five years old was ancient—old enough to take on the world, or at least the mantle of gatekeeping. She puffed out her cheeks, determination flickering in her big, round eyes.
She grabbed Mr. Ruffian again, holding him up to her face.
"Okay, let’s think. If it’s something bad, I’ll need to be brave. Brave like a real demon guard puppy! But...but if it’s something good..." Her voice trailed off, and a small, hopeful smile tugged at her lips.
Her imagination began to wander. What if Mama Puppy was bringing home a surprise? Like a new shiny toy or a mountain of pon-de-rings?
Her tail wagged involuntarily at the thought, but then she quickly stopped herself. "No, no, what if it’s needles? Or...or..." Her eyes widened. "What if they found a monster and it’s waiting for me to fight it?!"
She gasped, clutching Mr. Ruffian like a shield. "I’ll have to protect the house! Mr. Ruffian, you stand guard at the door! I’ll check the kitchen for snacks—we’ll need energy for this battle!"
With a newfound burst of energy, Fuwawa scrambled to her feet and scampered toward the kitchen, her little dress fluttering behind her. But just as she reached the doorway, the sound of the front door creaking open made her freeze in her tracks.
For two demon guard dogs, they sure are geeky.
One big round of applause for Mama Puppy and Papa Puppy, the silent protagonists of this story.
In their mid 20s, full of youth despite their firstborn, enjoyers of pop culture and everything that comes with it, from movies to videogames, and everything in between.
Fuwawa: "Mommy, Daddy!"
"Welcome back home!"
Papa: "O-oh, sweetie...are you awake?"
"It's 9 AM...you should be getting a bit more rest..."
Fuwawa: "As a demon guard puppy, I have a good hearing, he-heh~"
"So I was woken up by the door!"
"...why did Mommy had to go to the dogtor?"
Mama: "...do you want to tell her, or should I?"
Papa Puppy chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "You’re better at these kinds of things," he said, stepping aside and motioning for Mama Puppy to take the lead.
Mama Puppy knelt down to Fuwawa’s level, her warm eyes meeting her daughter’s curious, slightly worried gaze. She placed a gentle hand on Fuwawa’s head, smoothing her floppy ears.
Mama: "Sometimes, you don't need to be super sick to go to the Doctor..."
"Maybe you're just feeling something funny and you wanna know what it is."
"I was feeling a bit dizzy and fuzzy, I thought I had ate too much candy, he-heheheh..."
Fuwawa: "I knew it, Mr. Ruffian!"
"She had ate too much candy-"
Mama: "But it wasn't that."
"There are some other reasons as to why you may be feeling fuzzy..."
"In my case being...a baby in my tummy."
"Fuwawa...your daddy and I will have another baby."
"You'll be an older sister!"
A...what?
A sister? What's that?
Fuwawa knew what a baby was, and she knew that she had been a baby once, that's for sure...
Nerissa always talks about her sisters, but she never mentions being an OLDER sister...
What's a sister? It's like...another mommy and daddy? or another Mr. Ruffian?
Papa Puppy's videogames never mentioned anything about a sister, and those games are super fun and amazing!
Fuwawa: "An older sis...sister?"
Papa: "It's...actually kinda funny..."
"Abyssgards rarely have two children..."
And that's the catch.
If anything, Papa and Mama are as confused as Fuwawa is.
Fuwawa likes to bite stuff, likes to order her parents around whenever they're playing videogames (even if she doesn't understand the content of the screen), and in general is as fun loving and cute as an Abyssgard would be.
...but a second one?
What would be his or her personality? What would be his or her appereance?
...would she be nice?
Mama: "We'll learn along the way, as we have always had."
"But for now...Fuwa-chan..."
"Be happy that you'll have someone to help you protect the things you care about."
"A younger sibling!"
Hmmm...
Is that what a sibling is? A partner, a teammate?
But if the sib...ling is a baby, then how will they protect the gates of heck?
Mama and Papa look pretty confused themselves, hah...
Fuwawa: "But babies don't know how to bark..."
"And I can't bau bau by myself!"
Papa: "You didn't know how to bark when you were a baby."
"But you grew up and suddenly you can do so much amazing stuff."
"The baby will need your help."
"I want you to be the guide and mentor of this new puppy."
Fuwawa's big, round eyes lit up as realization dawned. That made so much sense!
Sure, the baby would be small and helpless at first, but someday they’d grow up, and they’d be the best gatekeeping duo Heck had ever seen!
She felt her little heart swell with pride and excitement. Protecting the gates of Heck was important, sure, but protecting her new sibling? That was the most important job of all.
She ran here and there, talking to herself about her new "partner", and what will they do together.
There is a bit of anxiety in all three hearts, there is even a bit of emotion in the tiny heartbeat slowly ringing inside Mama. But they'll do well.
However, she had been so excited by the words partner and guide, that she forgot to ask the question that she wanted to ask.
"What's a sister?"