Jett Fulgen - Book 3, Chapter 14: Kintsugi

The world keeps trying to shatter me

하지만 넌 나의 킨츠기야

You put me back together, piece by piece

And your love is the gold in between

—“Kintsugi,” 5/LRM

Hwa-eum was pleased.

More than five thousand people had already been seeded with the concert still a week out. Her power was growing exponentially, and with it, her ability to resonate and spread more seeds. At this rate the majority of the concertgoers would be seeded before the event. Once they were gathered in one place she could easily seed the rest all at once and move on to the next phase: freedom for herself and, conversely, domination of the city.

She sat gleefully in her prison, struggling to appear frustrated whenever Eunbi focused attention on her. She was ready to break out. Already she could shatter this cage at any time. But she wanted to be certain. No more surprise countermeasures from her idiotic other self. No chance of having control wrested back from her. This body would be hers, forever, and Eunbi—well, she wouldn’t die. She’d simply fade, atrophy, become a vestigial appendage of Hwa-eum’s glorious mind. No more stupid jacket, no more blue Mimi buns. Hwa-eum’s victory was all but guaranteed.

Not that there hadn’t been close calls. Eunbi had nearly caught her drawing aether from her seeded subjects the other day. Then there was the boy. The Spirit Guardian.

He was trying to approach HQ again, even now. Hwa-eum visualized topside as a map: her subjects as pink dots and her target in blue. She quickly located a few of the seeded in his vicinity, took command, and directed them to head him off. He noticed their movements and turned down a side street. He really was good, but it was useless. As long as he insisted on a quiet approach, on avoiding her subjects rather than attacking or pushing through them, she easily had the upper hand.

Hwa-eum shifted her attention to those along his new route, picked out an older woman—how was someone her age an A-Pop fan?—and had her run after the boy. “Stop, thief!” Hwa-eum yelled using the woman's voice.

She could practically hear him curse, but he remained still. Hwa-eum hissed as she felt his touch on her seed. She scrambled to mobilize other subjects as he gripped her aether and pulled.

The seed came free of the woman’s mind and dissipated. Hwa-eum froze for a moment, fuming. It was only one of thousands, sure. But her subjects could be taken from her. She did not like that at all.

No matter. The woman collapsed after being freed, and she lay on the sidewalk, groggy and disoriented. A perfect setup. She grabbed hold of two other subjects.

“He's attacking her!”

“Help! Police!”

The boy ran.

[You will need to deal with him.]

«I will need to deal with many when I make my move. Do you doubt me?»

[No. But if his suspicions become known it could be inconvenient to say the least.]

«A few more days and it won’t matter if he reveals everything. I will have too much momentum to be stopped.»

[And the Mind Guardian?]

«She will succumb. She will forsake the Guardian Amulet, and that will allow it and my amulet to come in contact at last. I will become the Apostate, and Gigopolis will fall.»

[How?]

«Everyone I control is a potential hostage. I can make them do anything. I doubt I will need to order many to kill themselves before she sees reason.»

This afternoon Firelance was sharing the training facility with Team Hurricane. Jessie was observing, and that gave me the opportunity to show up early and pull two very important people aside. Fu had been… oddly eager to let me do my own thing, promising to bring the rest of the team after lunch. That was both convenient and a little suspicious.

Jessie and Squid shared quizzical glances as I ushered them into a briefing room.

“Afternoon, Miss Faxton,” he said as he took a seat.

“Good afternoon, Squid. How is the training going?”

“Matt’s stubborn. He’s used to being solid as a rock, so he’s fighting it whenever he kicks the shoes on. Even a sturdy skid engineer has to learn to be liquid. I’ll break him eventually.”

“You’re more patient than me. I almost wish Valery hadn’t transferred. She can shout stubborn assholes into submission like no other. But she’s happy on Dominion, and with Mark.”

“All right,” I said. “That’s actually a good setup.”

“Yeah, what’s this about, boy?” asked Squid. “Nice hair, by the way.”

“Really?”

Squid paused. “I’ll need to get used to it, but… it’s alright.”

Ouch.

Jessie fought back a smile as she conspicuously cleared her throat. “Yes, Jett, what is this?”

“Right. So, this isn’t directly work related—though I will be talking to Catalina about it too—and I’m sorry for pulling you away from your breaks. But I wanted you two to be among the first to know about this.”

“Shoot,” said Squid.

Jessie straightened. “Very well. You can make it up to me by showing up to the next board meeting.”

Even that couldn’t dampen my mood. I clasped my hands, trying to contain my excitement. “I’m going to propose to Fu. And if Catalina can work it out I might do it live, on stage, at Trillium Nexus.”

“Damn, Jett.” Squid laughed. “Oh, kid. That is amazing. That is worth my time. Congratulations, boy.”

Jessie had her arms crossed, a pensive look on her face. “Jess?” I prompted.

She spoke carefully. “Jett, first and foremost, I'm very happy for you. It warms my heart that you and Fu have gotten to the point where you're considering this. And I'm honored you wanted me to be one of the first to know.”

I tried to mask my annoyance. I expected Jess to be a little reserved, sure, but this almost sounded like she was leading up something bad.

“That said,” she continued, “I think you should proceed carefully.”

“Carefully? Fu and I don't exactly do things ‘carefully.’”

She looked at me seriously. “I know, believe me. But I don't think I need to tell you, Jett. Fu is open, passionate, and down for almost anything… until she isn't.”

“And you think, what, marrying me would be one of the exceptions?”

“Not you. You are not the problem.” She chuckled. “Wow, that may be the first time I’ve ever said that. Is it?”

“Pretty sure.” I glanced at Squid. He looked thoughtful. “So not me, but… marriage itself?”

Jessie shrugged. “I’m afraid that’s all I can say. I know she loves you, and I would be thrilled to see this happen. I’m just saying you might want to check her temperature before you put her on the spot in front of millions of people. It’s a larger-than-life gesture worthy of two larger-than-life people… but that’s exactly why I want it to go well.”

I nodded. “So, it’s the eternal problem, huh? I have to figure out whether she would say yes, ideally without giving away that I’m planning on asking.”

Squid steepled his hands. “Then it’s a good thing you came to me. Relationships, boy. Discussing plans for the future with your lovely lady would be a good way to go about it, and a sensible conversation to have besides. Want me to give you some pointers?”

I was full of thoughts by the time I returned to training. Jessie walked beside me. Today might be a big day for Fu, and Jessie wanted to watch us train.

Jessie noted my silence. “I wasn’t trying to discourage you,” she said. “I know you’ve given this decision the weight it deserves. You’re not doing this impetuously. Just a little, well, ‘Jett-ly.’”

“What the hell does that mean?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. I get it.”

“But you’re pissed.”

My lips tightened. “A little. Not at you. Or her. Just… sometimes it’s so easy with her, you know? Other times…”

“Other times it gets real. She cuts through a lot of bullshit, and I know that’s part of why you love her. But it’s also why she loves you. You’ve seen through ‘the Fu.’ You’ve seen what she is when she runs out of teasing and bravado, and you still accept her. That’s huge for her. She’s told me as much, and I want you to know that. But it's also scary. And if you want to take this step you need to dig even deeper. You can’t ask easy-going, hugs-and-dirty-jokes Fu to marry you. You have to ask all of her. Right down to the quietest, scaredest parts she’s barely willing to show to me.”

I nodded. “I want to.”

“Then make sure… oh my.”

“What?”

“Your team.”

“What about—?”

Team Firelance was all lined up, and we had just stopped in front of them. I was so preoccupied I didn’t notice the difference until that moment.

“Uh, good afternoon, Firelance,” I said, and I got snickers in response.

I took a deep breath, then added, “You utter assholes.”

Everyone had gone two-tone. The whole damn team had colored their hair except for Lys, who was ahead of the curve, and Julian, whose hair apparently just grew like that. The look of gleeful mischief on Fu’s face told me exactly how it had happened, not that it would have been hard to guess. She had somehow orchestrated a massive salon trip behind my back.

She herself had added prominent streaks of silver that framed her face. Wally looked slightly sheepish in his Zapper Suit, helmet under one arm, with electric blue streaks striping his blond hair. Lina had done something similar, but with green streaks. Yuki had gone more elaborate, blending from her natural black at the roots to blue at the ends. Eunbi had opted for a loud cotton candy look, splitting her hair down the middle; one side was pink with a blue bun, the other blue with a pink bun. Even Evan had gotten highlights, and he—huh. He was standing very close behind Lys.

Julian shrugged, running a hand through his black-and-blue hair. “What can I say, Fulgen? I’m just that popular.”

“You wish, Jewels,” said Fu. She laughed as she sauntered over, wrapped an arm around me, and ruffled my hair.

“So, Captain,” she said. “Whaddaya think?”

“I think you got me good,” I said.

She put a hand to her chest in mock outrage. “‘Got’ you? Fireman, you think this is about you? That’s conceited, ain’t it? You think I would change my beautiful hair just to ‘get’ ya? I got a million other ways to do that!”

“That’s a good point.”

Fu grabbed my hands and placed them on her hips, then wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Oh Shones, here they go,” said Lys.

“So let me ask ya again,” said Fu. “What do you think? Does it look all right?”

The silver was striking, I had to admit. It was clearly chosen to reflect her new role as a Guardian. No, she hadn’t done this just for a prank. She’d put thought into it, and she’d done it in solidarity as much as to tease me.

I suddenly realized it was freaking hot.

I smiled. “I think it looks METAL.”

She pulled me closer. “Mmm, that’s what I hoped you’d say.” Then she kissed me.

After several seconds, Jessie cleared her throat. “All right, Firelance, this isn’t what I’m paying this place by the hour for. Fu, aren’t you trying to break through to Tier 3 today?”

“Yeah,” said Fu, pulling back. “Just asking my man’s opinion on my hair, is all. And I wanted thorough feedback.”

She winked. “I got what I needed. Temere sed fortiter, y’all!”

“Nemine relicto!” they replied in unison.

I rolled my eyes. Apparently our motto now also applied to hair.

I kept hold of Fu’s hand. “I have to deal with this forever, don’t I?”

She blinked. “Well… I mean, long as you can stand me, anyway.”

“I think I could stand you for a long time.”

She patted my hand. “All right, Captain. Let’s get goin’ before the Hall Monitor yells at us again.”

I threw a Feverflame fireball.

Fu’s mechsuit vanished, and she twisted out of the way. She landed, pivoted, and leapt at me. Her Hammer Suit formed around her.

My predictive reflexes gave me a hint where and how she would swing, and that allowed me to duck her strike without overcommitting. I swung Night Train, bashing it into the right arm of her suit as she passed.

Armorer had been her first focus class. She could now bind three sets of armor, and she and Wally were already poring over schematics for a new design so she could use every slot. In the meantime, she’d already become very adept at switching between them.

I dodged to the side, avoiding a thrown metal sphere. Fu held out the damaged arm of her suit, and glowing golden lines snaked their way from shoulder to wrist as her Kintsugi skill repaired the metal. Then she summoned her skid engine and rocketed toward me again.

Weapon Master: Metal was a branch class. She’d decided that even though she’d bound a skid engine, her various suits had too many different integrated and mounted weapons for her to specialize as I did. So she’d chosen one that enhanced her skill with any weapon made of more than fifty percent metal, or that used metal ammunition.

I blasted away from Fu using Night Train, leading her in a chase around the arena. I threw a concussive fireball behind me. It exploded against her engine, but she kept coming. Another shot, then another. I finally clipped the engine near the side, knocking it the other way and sending her off course. As she regained control and reoriented I performed a quick turn and charged at her, preparing for a full skid brawl joust.

Fu scraped to a halt, switched back to her mechsuit, and extended the blade. I crouched down, as if to duck under her blade arm and aim for her legs. She lowered the weapon to block my path. At the last moment I jumped and, instead of swinging or thrusting Night Train forward, kicked the mechsuit’s chestplate. It cracked loudly. Unfortunately, so did my right ankle. Still, the force of the kick sent the heavy mechsuit into the air, and Fu tumbled across the ground.

I landed in my own painful tumble not too far from where Fu came to a stop. “Ow,” I croaked. “Fu? Fu?”

For a moment she didn’t move, and I felt a visceral panic.

“Fu!” I groaned as I tried unsuccessfully to stand on my shattered ankle. I pulled myself up using Night Train and limped over to her.

We’d quickly found that sparring with my Tier 4 self greatly accelerated Fu’s growth. She was achieving in barely a week what had taken me months. Yet another example of how Marin and Crowell’s regime had screwed me over. Had I trained with Chris from the start I probably could have matched this pace.

Fu became impatient even with that, so she insisted on a high-risk move: sparring without the bluntsab that made our attacks less lethal. That had caused her to level even faster. But, of course, it also meant we could more easily hurt each other.

“Fu, are you all right?”

Her helmet vanished. “Bastard,” she choked. “Right in the chest? You damage these puppies and it’s hands off for a week.”

“Don’t move, Fu!” Yuki called.

“Screw that.” She looked down. “You got lucky, Fireman. Think you still broke a rib or two though. Surprise! Gimme a sec to fix my damn suit!”

She noticed me leaning on Night Train as the gold veins covered her chestplate, and her brow furrowed. “Guess I got you back. Surprise, heal my man first… no, wait!”

Fu only had one Class Point left to earn before tiering up. She’d already chosen the focus class.

Yuki looked between her and me. Finally she said, “Captain?”

“What is it, Fu?” I asked.

“I think I figured it out,” she muttered. “The right way to mix the physical aether with the metal. Holy shit, that’s the missing piece. I guess hurting my body and my suit at the same time helped.”

Then she grinned. “That’s it! I synthesized it! Hell yeah, everybody! I did it!”

Her mechsuit vanished, and she dropped to the ground with an “Oof!” She stood, looking a little shaky. She looked down at herself. “I’ll be damned. Look at that!”

I saw it too. On her chest, near her armpit, was a familiar golden glow. Kintsugi veins snaked across her ribcage, bright enough to be seen through her uniform. Or perhaps they just showed on the outside of clothing because hey, aether.

“You can heal yourself?” I said.

She shrugged. “Self healing costs a hell of a lot, but I am a little like METAL myself, so it makes sense that I can fix me. Shones, I’m a healer, Fireman! I am a healer!”

Her grin faded as she looked me over. “Sit your ass down, Jett. Surprise, I am not gonna take away your job. But I wanna do the honors this time. Gather ‘round, everyone!”

A few moments later the whole team plus Jessie had huddled around us. Team Hurricane also watched from a short distance. My skidshoe had been removed, revealing a very swollen and slightly misshapen ankle.

“Okay,” said Fu, taking a deep breath. “I think I got this. Fireman, let me know if anything don’t feel right.”

“I’ll be sure to scream,” I said. Then, noting her nervousness, I patted her arm. “But I know you’ll do great.”

Fu concentrated, then extended a glowing hand. It was a similar effect to other touch-based healing skills, but while those normally shone pale blue or white, hers had an unmistakable golden hue.

She gently touched my broken ankle. I hissed, and she recoiled.

“Shit,” she muttered. “Did I mess it up?”

“I don’t think so,” I grunted. “It actually does feel a little better. It’s just really tender to the touch, but I don’t think that can be helped. Try again, and keep going.”

Fu touched my ankle again, and I fought through the pain until it began to subside. I felt a tingle similar to a standard healing skill, only… warmer, somehow. There was the uncomfortable shift and snap as bones moved to their proper positions, pressed together, and began to knit. The warmth intensified, almost burning. I felt a sensation like metal cords wrapping things on the inside, reinforcing and strengthening. Then the outside changed.

The gold veins snaked out from the point of contact, wrapping around my foot in a beautiful pattern. Fu withdrew her hand. I tentatively felt one of the veins. There was a slight, subtle texture difference between it and my natural skin. I moved my foot around. No pain.

Yuki leaned in and inspected Fu’s work. “Interesting,” she said. “It’s very different from standard healing. I think this material actually is part metal.”

Fu nodded. “Description says that’s temporary, and regular tissue will grow back in its place. Not that y’all wouldn’t look badass with gold lines all over.”

“It feels a little tenuous. I might need to reinforce this with my own healing so the wound doesn’t reassert itself. But you did very well for your first time, Fu.”

“Whoa.” I looked at my HUD. “There’s more. The healing made me… stronger.”

You have received a temporary buff: Kintsugi Healing. Three percent increase to Might and Resilience. This effect will be most pronounced at the point of injury.

“Oh,  yeah,” said Fu. “That’s the bonus. Already does that when I fix machinery. It’ll get even better and last longer as I train the skill up. Kickass, huh?”

I stood up, slightly off-kilter with one shoe off. Remembering that my uniform was bound armor, I recalled the shoe to my foot. I took a few tentative steps. It felt normal… and then some. The effect was subtle but detectable. Not just healed. Better than before.

Because that was what Fu did.

“Fu,” I breathed, “This is amazing.”

“Well,” she said, “That’s ‘cause I’m amazing—whoa!”

I caught her up in my arms and swung her around.

“Hey!” she gasped. “I’m not an ol’ sack you can just… just…”

I squeezed her tight. She relaxed into me, returning the hug. It wasn’t an aggressive, suggestive hug. It was the same grounding, accepting hug she’d once given me on The Balcony all those months ago. That hug was supposed to mark the end of her crush on me and the start of our friendship. Instead, it was the moment I really started falling in love with her.

“Aww,” said Lys. “I like when they’re like that.”

“It’s certainly preferable,” said Lina.

“Oh, Jett,” said Fu. “I’m so damn happy I could pop.”

“You did it, Fu,” I whispered. “You didn’t just heal me; you made me shine. I love you so much.”

She sniffed. “I love you too, Fireman. You’re not so bad yourself. You made this happen, you know.”

I smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could—”

“By kickin’ my damn chest.” She gave me a lopsided smile, then pulled me into another kiss. “Also I’m Tier 3 now.”

I laughed. “That’s right. My girlfriend is Tier 3, y’all! Hey Wally, is your girlfriend Tier 3?”

“She is, actually.”

“Oh, right.”

“Samchon!” snapped Eunbi. “It does not work when you do it!”

“Aw, let the goofball do it once in a while,” said Fu. “Long as it’s to praise me.”

She smiled. It was so warm, so genuine. And at the same time, it was so Fu—tinged with that irresistible mischief that colored almost everything she said and did. The golden lines on my foot were like the ones on my heart, where she’d put me back together during my darkest moments. It was all I could do not to get down on one knee and ask her right then and there. Throw caution to the wind, and worry about a ring later.

“Whatcha thinking about, Fireman?” she asked. Because of course she did. Because she could always tell when I was thinking about something big.

“Just that… I can’t wait to see what comes next. For you, and for us.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t just mean how we’re gonna celebrate this, do ya?”

“No. No I don’t.”

“Well… I can’t wait either. I just know it’s gonna be good.”

Yes. That clinched it. Of course, I’d still keep doing what Squid had suggested. Talk about the future and whatnot, just to be sure. But first thing tomorrow? I was going to pay Catalina a visit.

We were going to discuss the proposal of the century.

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