Finding Home [Naruto]

1.1 - monachopsis

monachopsis 

the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, as maladapted to your surroundings as a seal on a beach—lumbering, clumsy, easily distracted, huddled in the company of other misfits, unable to recognize the ambient roar of your intended habitat, in which you'd be fluidly, brilliantly, effortlessly at home.

・・・

Queenie was running.

She'd been running her whole life, if we're being dramatic here. Not literally, of course; not even someone as talented and perfect as Queenie Mira could run her entire life. She may have stronger stamina and stronger (and longer) legs than anyone else she knew, but even she would have had to stop to eat and sleep. But if she did, the things would catch up.

What were the things, you ask? Well, there were multiple things. Hence the plural form. One of the things was her horrible two-faced father who spoiled her in the daytime and beat her in the night. One of the things was her terrible mother, who had never wanted children and resented Queenie for tying her down. One of the things was her ungrateful sister, who had, every day of their lives, taken advantage of Queenie's incredible kindness.

One of the things (and the current threat) was a horde of Queenie's jealous classmates.

The word 'horde' is a noun, technically, so singular tense is allowed. But that horde contained more children than would ever actually be realistic. They all hated Queenie, who was smarter, prettier, and more talented than all of them combined. And so, despite Queenie's extensive training in half a dozen different kinds of martial arts, she was forced to run.

Queenie risked a glance over her shoulder, to see the rabble of angry teens still on her tail. She gasped and looked forward again, her cerulean blue irises scanning her surroundings for an escape route. The streets of her village, she knew, were too harsh and orderly for her to properly escape. But just beyond the border of the village was a forest, a lush subtropical boscage that had always welcomed her in a way that her family hadn't. She felt at home in the forest; surrounded by the plants and animals that would never judge her for who she was. She'd spend so much time there that she sometimes felt more animal than human.

There! There was the edge of the village! A smile spread across Queenie's face and she forced her legs to move faster, pushing her towards her forest, her home. She was almost there. She was almost safe.

Of course, Queenie was so panicked that despite her incredible genius, the thought somehow slipped her mind that her pursuers wouldn't simply cease to exist once they reached the woodlands.

But that didn't matter, anyways, since Queenie didn't reach her forest. One of her bolder and more reckless classmates leaped forward and tackled her, sending them both to the ground. She cried out in pain as she hit the rough concrete.

He snickered and placed one knee on her back, keeping her from moving. "Not so talented now, huh Princess?" he mocked her.

Queenie narrowed her gorgeous azure orbs. This jerk wouldn't keep her down! She kicked upwards with one of her legs, as opposed to with one of her arms, and smirked in smug satisfaction as she felt it collide with something solid. The bully above her cried out in pain and reeled back. She took that opportunity to roll over and spring to her feet.

Queenie assessed her situation in mere moments. Her classmates had thronged around her, cutting off all of her escape routes. However, she was only a few dozen feet from the gate, so she would be safe if she could just get past them. She hid her nerves expertly and smirked mockingly.