HIS SHIELD, pierro

SIX, the shield isn't broken

The next morning, Y/n was sure to dress warm. As it always is, she knew that Snezhnaya's weather would be unforgiving if taken lightly. So she always prepared for the worst.

Already prepared for the cold day ahead of her, she was surprised to see Pierro waiting patiently outside her door.

"You're here? Already?"

Her voice sounded surprised as she quickly shut her bedroom door behind her. It was a mess in there and definitely didn't want the strongest harbinger to see the state it was in.

"Indeed," he said turning to her in the process, "wouldn't want you to complain of my lateness, after all."

She didn't stop the smile from slipping across her delicate lips. His eyes not being able to stop themselves as he gave them a quick glance. And then let his gaze roam over her figure once, then twice.

For someone who was dressed in a simple night gown the night prior whilst laying on the floor in a fetal position ... he had to admit that she could dress nicely. And, to be frankly honest, he suspected her to have a frail figure with nothing but bones to show. But, instead, he was instead greeted with a nice view. Hmph, so she is weak and could fall at any moment, yet her body is somewhat healthy? Or maybe her condition with using the shield affects her on the inside causing her to die faster? No matter, it's not like he cares. As long as she does her job as the shield.

"Ready to go?"

"What about breakfast?"

"It can wait."

He turned to walk away but stopped.

"Come along, y/n," he said whilst holding out his arm which she gladly attached herself to so she wouldn't fall or slow them down.

•
•
•

He watched her patiently.

The snow was falling gently around them. The cold lightly nipping at their noses. The wind not yet freezing their bones.

She had a bagel in one hand and her other was outstretched and reaching for the shield, the barrier that encased all of Snezhnaya.

They had traveled far that morning. All the way to one of the outskirts where the barrier, to which y/n had reported, felt weak for some reason.

She took a bite out of her bagel as her other hand finally touched the shield. A hue of light emitting from her fingers as he nails gently glides across the surface.

"It seems everything is alright. There shows no signs of breaking or infiltrating."

"Then why did you feel as if something was off here?"

His voice was gruff. And he was slightly annoyed. He didn't like the idea of coming out here for nothing.

She was silent, and didn't answer him.

"Well, Y/n."

He prodded for an answer nonetheless.

"It's .. it must be because I'm dying. I felt the shield getting weak, but it's just my senses failing me is all."

She turned to smile at him and he saw how broken she seemed in that moment.

"Tell me Pierro, do you know what it's like to feel yourself dying," her eyes shifted away from his own as she spoke, "and here I thought coming out here would help me realize that I was going to be ok. But in reality I know, everyone knows, that I'll be gone in a few years."

She bit into her bagel again.

"Anyway," she mumbled with a mouthful, "now that we got that out of the way, let's .. let's just go back. We were worried for nothing."

She tried to play her words off, but Pierro knew better.

However, for now, he wasn't going to comfort her. In fact, he didn't even know what to say. Instead, he excepted her words on how the shield was as strong as ever.

Yes, nothing was wrong with the shield at all.

But what of the person creating the shield? Yes, what of her...