One Who Has Eaten the Fruit
by epithree


Disclaimer: Avatar is not mine. Just bending the air.


One:

Natural Behavior

The newest fire lord walked slowly through a dimly lit corridor. Anger had consumed him for the last seven days, but today a strange calm overtook his soul.

A week of fury that had kept his eyes ablaze was now gone. It had diminished into the simplest of sullen gazes as he looked ahead into the darkness of the adjoining tunnel.

Wondering which member of the asylum faculty he was going to be dealing with, Zuko turned and entered the dark passage. A cold wind swept around his regal attire, and he noticed flickering torches upon the walls up ahead.

Zuko's temper had been kept in check ever since his arrival to this place. Now he employed a breathing technique taught to him by the Avatar himself.

'The Avatar,' Zuko mused. Aang was one of his closest friends. That particular reality still stunned Zuko to the core. Sometimes their unexpected friendship perplexed the fire lord, but he had learned to accept it as an odd truth. After all, the war had ended six months ago, and they were now looked upon as a formidable team.

Once a feared fire nation prison, this establishment had since been converted into a mental ward. Officially known as the Asylum at Boiling Rock, the facility consisted of a few new wings added to the original jail. Zuko had to memorize the directions to his destination, for he was unfamiliar with the new sector.

The torchlight flames grew larger each time Zuko exhaled, and then shrunk again soon thereafter. This rhythmic dance of fire helped him to maintain his calmness. It was precisely what he needed as troublesome thoughts invaded his psyche.

Just five months ago, the infamous prison had been practically cleared out. This was due to the fact that most of the inmates were wrongfully imprisoned by the fire nation. The criminals that remained were shipped out to the earth kingdom, so that the asylum could be established.

Zuko sighed. The tiny percentage of citizens that needed mental care did not require such a project. The young fire lord had intended for the complex to remain a prison, but he was outvoted by members of the newly formed council. 'It's just a glorified jail for keeping the former princess locked away,' Zuko thought morosely.

The fire nation wanted to repair its damaged reputation, and the impressive asylum looked good in the public eye. Those appointed to the council wanted the people to know that Zuko's sibling was getting the care she so desperately needed. The top therapists from each of the nations were assembled to make up the facility's staff.

Zuko continued to ponder, and he dwelled upon his decision to come here alone. The doctors had advised him otherwise, suggesting that the Avatar and Mai be present for the crucial meeting.

Once he had been alerted to the doctors' wishes, Zuko's week of anger began. Not only did the fire lord disagree with the staff's decision, but he also had to deal with Aang and Mai constantly demanding that they be allowed to tag along.

What added to Zuko's fury even more was the simple fact that these so-called professionals were considering his sister's release. She had only been at Boiling Rock for five months. During Zuko's three visits, he had witnessed no improvement. His presence was to no avail, for she wasn't getting any better.

The torchlight glinted off of a metallic door as Zuko reached the end of the long tunnel. A fire nation emblem was etched into the steel. Zuko's curiosity peaked as he thought about his unfamiliar whereabouts. 'Strange.' His previous three visits required a trip to the original jail, which was an area he knew well due to his bold excursion with Sokka. 'Why is this appointment at the new sector?' He just didn't know, so he shook away the musings and knocked at the metal door.

After the knock's echo, an eerie silence ruled the tunnel. A minute quickly went by. Zuko knocked again. No response. He went over the memorized directions in his head. This door supposedly led to his sister's new unit. The instructions were simply to knock, so he did so a third time. After a few seconds, the viewing hole upon the door slid open with a metallic shriek.

Zuko's sullen gaze penetrated the golden eyes he was faced with. Those perfect orbs revealed no sign of emotion, even as the fire lord stared into them. A distinct female voice questioned Zuko. "What's the password?"

The gold eyes had been enough to confirm it. Zuko didn't need to hear the voice, for he knew who was standing behind that door. 'Azula,' he reflected to himself. Then, his instincts told him to hold the gaze. It was an automatic response. Zuko had been dealing with these staring contests since childhood. His sister always used the tactic to intimidate others, but it never worked against Zuko. He would not allow that to change.

About half a minute had elapsed when Azula broke the bizarre silence. "I see your demeanor hasn't changed." She spoke the sentence plainly.

"Neither has yours," Zuko responded, though he could only see her bright eyes. He was completely perplexed as to why Azula had answered the door.

"Not true," Azula said, now with some playfulness in her voice. "How do you know I'm not smiling with joy behind here?" She wanted to see Zuko's entire face in order to read his expression.

The fire lord answered bluntly. "I just know." He then proceeded to bang the metal door a few times. "Now open this door."

Azula repeated herself. "What's the password?"

Now Zuko thought that she just might be wearing a joyous smile. Taunting her brother always brightened Azula's mood. "That's enough Azula." It certainly seemed as if nothing had changed.

The former princess kept staring, apparently waiting for a password from her brother.

Zuko banged the door once more, this time harder. The torchlight flames behind him flickered strongly. "Tell me what's going on. Now." His recent calmness was starting to dissipate. "Where are your caretakers?"

Azula ignored the valid question. "Oh well Zuko." She paused. "No password, no entry." Alloy shrieked again as the viewing hole was slid shut.

Her relentless taunting infuriated Zuko. He desperately wanted to bend right through the door. 'If only Toph was here,' he thought briefly. Then he charged towards the metal door, but stopped just before contact. He knew it would be to no avail, and injuring himself would not help the situation.

"Azula!" he yelled. "Open this door!" Once again, he was playing right into Azula's hands. Then he recalled his breathing exercises. Back at the palace, the gang had been helping Zuko control his temper. Aang's teachings had proved helpful, so the fire lord dropped into a meditative position and resumed his exercise. The rhythmic breathing caused the nearby torch flames to augment accordingly.

Now sitting cross-legged upon the surface, Zuko was facing the far side of the tunnel with his eyes shut. It seemed as though his self-control and patience paid off, for he soon heard the metallic sliding noise again.

He jumped up and peered through the hole again, but golden eyes did not greet him. Zuko saw the face of a man instead. A large percentage of the asylum's staff members had been introduced to the fire lord, but he did not recognize this person behind the door.

The man spoke, slowly. "Welcome, fire lord Zuko. The door shall be opened momentarily." Zuko immediately noticed the monotone nature of the man's voice. Also, this person used no inflections while speaking, and his face was unreadable.

'This is all very odd,' Zuko considered. 'Why would they allow Azula access to the main door?' Then, he thought about the man's behavior. The stranger hadn't shown the slightest hint of a smile.

Once again calm, Zuko waited patiently to be admitted. He knew that when his temper was flaring, he couldn't bring himself to wait for anything. Seconds would seem like eons. Aang and Iroh were instrumental when it came to teaching Zuko the virtue of patience. The fire lord began to think about his uncle as he continued to wait.

Suddenly, deep booming sounds could be heard. Zuko gathered that the door had a complex locking system and that metallic shafts were being slid out of position. He was proven correct as the large door gradually creaked open.

Peering into the revealed room, Zuko couldn't see much. It was quite dark for a place that was supposed to lift spirits. However, he noticed the strange man standing at the far side of the chamber with a clipboard in his possession. Dressed in all white, the stranger stood out among the darkness.

Azula was nowhere to be seen, so Zuko approached the man. Recognizing the man's outfit as the standard uniform for staff members, he deduced that the stranger must be one of Azula's new doctors. As Zuko offered his hand for a shake, the metallic door closed with a thunderous clang. However, he did not hear any sounds that would indicate the utilization of the locking mechanism.

Before he could ponder the situation any further, Zuko accepted the stranger's hand for a firm shake. "Welcome," the man greeted again, this time with a smile. "I am Ling. It is an honor to meet you." All traces of weirdness had left this man for the moment.

"Hello," Zuko said, *without* a smile. "I take it you're a doctor."

"Yes," Ling explained warmly. "I am Azula's new therapist."

The fire lord extended his courtesy. "Nice to meet you." Then, it was time for business. Zuko wanted answers. "Last week I received a message from doctor Jen Teel requesting my presence here today."

Now Ling's expression changed. "Uh yes," he sputtered awkwardly. He seemed confused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "We've been expecting you."

"Where are all the others?" Zuko inquired.

This time, Ling's response came quickly. "Oh, they're tending to the other inmates." He scribbled something on his clipboard.

The explanation seemed odd to Zuko. During his previous visits, Azula had a *team* of therapists assigned to her. While Zuko thought up his next question, he noticed that Ling was looking across the room.

"Why did you allow my sister to answer the main door?" Even as the inquiry came, Ling was still staring over Zuko's shoulder. 'What's behind me?' the fire lord thought.

Zuko spun around and examined his surroundings. All he discovered was an immaculate white countertop that ran parallel to the wall, and a few desks.

Upon turning back to face Ling, the fire lord took notice of the doctor's discomfort. Zuko had become prolific at sensing anxiety. He shot a wry glance at the man, and tried his question again. "Azula and the main door?"

Ling was still looking behind Zuko, but he answered anyway. "Ah, yes. Well you see, my lord-"

"Just call me Zuko."

"Oh. Well, Zuko, your sister has made an astounding amount of progress these last few weeks." It looked like Ling was reading off of cue cards. Zuko thought that the response sounded practiced, perhaps even scripted. Ling continued. "And here at Boiling Rock, we reward progress. Azula has been granted more freedom. She is free to move about this unit as she sees fit."

"Really?" Zuko asked, speaking the word slowly and with much doubt.

"Yes," was Ling's plain retort. "I assure you, Zuko, your sister has taken many important steps forward. The road to recovery is a difficult one, but she's rapidly approaching mental stability."

Ling's gaze was still focused upon the opposite side of the chamber. Zuko would put a stop to this. He had seen enough of the mysterious behavior. "What are you looking at?" the fire lord demanded.

The doctor did not answer. He nodded towards the opposite side of the room instead. Zuko shook his head. 'Perhaps this guy truly belongs here,' he honestly thought. Then, Zuko detected relief emanating from Ling's countenance.

"It's okay," Ling stated. "You can come out now." He smiled, and seemed even more relieved than he was the moment before.

"By Agni," Zuko exclaimed. "What's going on here?" He whirled around and stared at the countertop again.

Then, Azula jumped out from behind the counter. She lifted herself in one swift motion and landed cross-legged upon the flat white surface. Zuko took notice of her grace, and the fact that she was wearing a grin.

He never knew that his sister was hiding between the far wall and counter, but hid his surprise well. His sullen demeanor revealed nothing. "Were you back there the whole time?" he asked without inflection.

The former princess seemed insulted, and did not answer. Swaying back and forth playfully upon the countertop, she spoke. "What? No polite greeting?" Azula scoffed. "Well, I refuse to be so rude." Then, she brought her hands together with her fingertips touching her chin. "Hello, Zuko." The salutation appeared genuine.

Zuko just shook his head and stared at his sibling.

"You're quite the conversationalist." Azula allowed her strong legs to drape over the side of the counter. Her grin never disappeared.

"What were you doing back there?" Zuko tried. He had never been in the mood for her childish frivolities and today was no different.

She looked at the ceiling innocently. "I just wanted to surprise you."

The fire lord exhaled. "Your behavior at the main door was quite enough."

"Oh, Zuko, come on now." She sprawled out lengthwise upon the countertop, kicking her legs in the air. "Don't be such a grump." Azula pulled her legs to her stomach. "Do you want to know what the password was?"

"No," came his simple response. He looked over at the unlocked door.

Azula told him anyway. "It was Zuzu." She spun around on the smooth white surface, her head and feet switching sides.

"Hilarious." Zuko said this with no emotion as he continued to examine the metal door. "So why have you been allowed to leave your cell?"

Now Azula smirked. "We don't have *cells* here at the new unit," she asserted as fact. "They're called rooms." She went back to sitting cross-legged. "And didn't Ling tell you? I can explore the unit as I see fit. I've been promoted."

Zuko frowned at the last word. "This isn't an occupation, Azula. You're here to get help." Then he realized that he had forgotten about Ling. The fire lord took a quick glance behind himself. There was Ling, monitoring the conversation and writing on his clipboard. The doctor looked up every few seconds to stare at Azula.

"Oh, calm yourself Zuko," Azula said, expecting his temper to get the best of him. Then she elaborated. "It's just some positive reinforcement to keep me on the right path."

"I don't think this door should be unlocked." Zuko folded his arms.

Another smirk formed across Azula's face. "Why not? You think a locked door is going to stop me, dum-dum?" She paused and squinted. "You see brother, here at this fine institute, my therapy deals with establishing trust."

Zuko was fairly certain that her tone was of a mocking nature. "What about the other inmates?"

"Oh Zuko, inmate is such a *harsh* word. We prefer to call them patients, or people." She cocked her head. "I even call some of them friends."

"Well? What about the door?" Zuko wasn't fazed.

Once again, Azula's legs dangled at the side of the counter. "Not to worry, brother. No one's going to escape on my watch." Her smile returned.

"Enough nonsense." The fire lord turned to Ling. "Doctor?"

"Well, Zuko. Your sister is right. We've established trust with all the patients from this wing. They're all very determined to do well. And good behavior guarantees eventual discharge." Ling then looked at Azula warmly. "This is why we called you here. Azula is extremely close to being released. A few more demonstrations of independence should complete her rehabilitation."

Zuko knew that something was amiss. "How is that even possible? Last time I was here, she was chained to a wall."

Azula glared at her brother with those golden eyes, and then nodded towards the therapist. Zuko took no notice, for he was addressing Ling at the moment.

"See for yourself," Ling suggested, to Zuko's surprise. "Azula can take over from here. I have other duties to attend to." After that, Ling bowed to the fire lord, gave Azula a reassuring look, and left the chamber.

Zuko was dumbfounded. Ling had just left his sister unsupervised. "What's the meaning of this?" He demanded an answer from Azula.

She stretched out again, this time with her stomach against the countertop. Twirling her feet playfully and twiddling her thumbs, Azula explained. "Relax, Zuko. The staff just wants you to see that I can take care of myself."

Now Zuko's hands went to his waist. "I'm not buying this. Last time I was here, you had shown no signs of improvement. Even Jen Teel confirmed that fact."

Azula rolled her eyes. "That was over a month ago. And as you can see, things are done differently around here." Then, she clapped her hands together once and her eyes grew wide. "Now how about a tour of the unit?" Her smile was back again.

"This is insane." Zuko was troubled. "You haven't improved." He wasn't about to trust his sister. "What about taunting me at the door?"

Azula sat up again. "That was just some good-natured sibling fun."

Zuko shook his head. "Just start the tour already."

Positively glowing, Azula seemed to display an uncharacteristic glee. "Welcome to the Asylum at Boiling Rock," she verbalized jokingly. "This is the front office of Azula's unit." Zuko was regretting this already. "Here is the main counter." She ran her exquisite hand over the white surface. "It's where our business is transacted."

The fire lord was not amused. "Enough," he declared. "Now cut it out and get off of there." Azula actually listened. She finally hopped off the countertop and stood next to Zuko. Though she was dressed in a standard issue plain blue jumpsuit, Azula still stood regally. "Take me to your room."

"Sorry," Azula replied. "That's not part of the tour."

"Azula." The fire lord gently grabbed her arms. "It's not a request."

She couldn't remember the last time Zuko had made contact with her. "Okay… fine." Azula began to lead the way. "Let's go."

Zuko struggled to see the next doorway. "And can we get some of these torches lit? It's too dark."

Leading the way, Azula cocked one of her well-groomed eyebrows. "I'm not allowed to firebend, but you certainly can."

"Right," Zuko mumbled in an unsure tone. The doctors had once told him not to bend in front of Azula. It would add to her temptation. However, he wasn't about to explore the whole unit without light, so he quickly shot the unlit torches with thin sparks.

The tiny rays flew from his fingertips with impressive precision. Even though he only had to use a minimal amount of fire, Zuko was relieved that Azula never turned around to witness the display.

Surprised at Azula's self-control so far, Zuko spoke. "I have a question for you."

Azula kept walking. She expected an inquiry. "What is it?" she asked, pretending to be interested.

"Since when do you follow rules?"


~to be continued