Nina's Diary

I've never written a diary before, I've just never really thought about it, I was always busy before and just thought that diaries were things for forgetful people or teenage schoolgirls or people with a lot of dates to remember, but as I am actually experiencing and have experienced a lot in my life I may as well make a record of it all...I dunno...maybe someone will read it someday or something...

Anyway, I guess I should start at the beginning. I was born on the 23rd of January 1994, I don't remember anything from being a baby, as few people do, only the embarrassing photographs that my mother, Kiki, took. I was raised in a large burrow with other kitsunes, in a forest, somewhere in South Yorkshire, it was pretty isolated. The burrows were huge and could fit humans in them, I don't know how my aunts managed to dig it out, kitsune magic I guess.

My mum basically taught me everything that I needed to know about life from the moment I could talk, she taught me about the world, and about where I had come from, what being a kitsune meant, obviously maths, English and Japanese too. What to eat and what not to eat, things to avoid outside, all that kind of stuff. We didn't really have electricity so we used candles and battery powered things, you'd probably think it was odd living underground like that but it was all I had known.

One day, a snowy winter's day, my mum came home with a boy around the same age as me, little did I know that he would be my best and closest friend, and one who I would hurt severely.

The boy was almost frozen, my mum had told me she had found him just laying in the snow, no idea where he had come from or who he even was, all we knew was that he looked like a kitsune, a male kitsune at that, I remembered before when mum had told me about how rare male kitsunes were, usually created when a female kitsune mates with a male kitsune, and before that, it was said that Inari himself bestowed the first male kitsune millennia ago, I still don't really understand it myself, but male kitsunes were just suppose to be extremely rare.

Anyway, when we nursed him back to health he couldn't remember anything about himself, not even his name, so my mum named him Ixen and we soon discovered he wasn't a kitsune, he was a fire fox, very similar to a kitsune but instead of their powers being mainly illusion based like a kitsune, fire foxes' powers focus more around...well...fire. My mum didn't really teach me much about fire foxes as I guess she never thought we'd ever encounter one, but their DNA are close enough to that of male kitsunes so he was still very valuable to our family, that's what my aunts thought at least.

Ixen and I soon became the best of friends, often pranking my aunts and cousins and generally being a nuisance, mum would act like she was annoyed when we put garlic into the teapot but I could tell she was just proud that we were learning to play tricks on people, albeit very basic ones.

Living in England at that time also brought upon the risk of being hunted, as we could transform into foxes, and often had to outside of the den, we'd have to run away from hunting dogs and horses and, you know, posh tw*ts with their guns. Thankfully we could create clones to drive them away and once we were safe, the clones would vanish.


Ixen and I would often explore too, climb trees, talk about everything, generally enjoy the countryside. He was my best friend, and he had told me that I was his, I suppose you could say we fell in love, we must have been fourteen, to think, meeting at five, then dating at fourteen...we were probably just at that age where people start getting all lovey dovey, and yes, we did snuggle a lot, although as we got older it was a lot more tricky to share a bed. Much easier when we were kids but...I didn't exactly mind being all close with him.

While I was seventeen though, I did the most stupidest thing that I could have done, I wanted a little change, I had been thinking about going to America and seeing what the place had to offer. Then, on a whim, one night, I left home, I left Ixen behind and my mum and my aunts and cousins and I was stupid and if I could go back I would stop myself, but I did it, and there was no turning back, I had used what little money I had and got on a flight to Jump City, I had only told my mum that I was going to America, and she just accepted it, even though she seemed saddened by my decision.

Once I was there I spent two years as a fox, doing fox things, eating out of trash cans and other things that I'd rather not divulge, needless to say, it was nothing to write home about. Those two years as a fox were used to observe human behaviour and get a general idea for the city.

After those two years I went around asking for a job, the fact that I had ears and five tails sort-of hindered my chances, until I met a guy who ran a humble comic book store, it was just him there, Mr. Tomson, or Eddy as I came to know him as. He thought that I was cosplaying and so thought my ears and tails were impressive, when I told him they were real and that I was looking for a job, he seemed delighted and handed me a bunch of fliers that advertised the comic store. "Hand these out, I just know we'll get some attention if you're doing it" he had told me, which I had gladly accepted.

People did pay attention to what I was advertising and, looking like I did, I attracted the right kind of people who would be interested in a comic book shop, eventually I was walking around handing out fliers with a t-shirt advertising the store too, the pay was decent for what the job involved and I didn't mind living in a tiny box of an apartment, I went out there every day all year round, I didn't mind as I gained a few friends during that time.

By the end of the full year, Eddy had told me he was wanting to retire, his family had their eyes on a place down in Florida, what he told me next I wasn't expecting, he told me that he wanted me to have the store, I'd take over as the new owner. Of course I accepted and that's where the third half of my life started.


Running a business was tough, first I had to clear out all the rooms, there was an upstairs area that had been used for storage as well as the other rooms being used for storage, tons and tons of comics laying there in boxes, so my first task was to get rid of them all, to sell them. Word got around fast that I was the new owner and when I was selling all those comic books for $10 each, they vanished pretty fast. A few nice guys offered to help me clean out the place, and with them and my clones we managed to get the place looking spotless. I also took on some guys who were offering to help advertise, they built the shop it's own website and everything. Which helped sell the rest of the comics.

Once I started buying in newer comics and manga and anime DVDs and such, business began to flourish, now that I was appealing to a wider audience I could earn more money, and I was indeed right. Soon the store came to be known as Comics For Fans, with a big fancy sign on the outside, I then converted the upstairs into a living area and the downstairs into a basement. I had also taken up stealing artefacts from museums, honing my stealth skills. Grabbing the objects then selling them on the black market.

One fateful night, my destiny crossed with my future friend and companion Pix, there were rumours that a rich businessman had recently acquired a beautiful Japanese fan, and I had planned to get my eyes on it, unfortunately, Pix had his eyes on the same thing. When our paths crossed, we had to come to a deal, I would help him steal the yacht, if he let me have the fan. A simple deal and one that seemed easy enough to do. But after the brake broke while escaping authorities, it turned into a bit of a mess, but we did manage to escape, and this escapade got us noticed by Tib a few days later, and that's how we became a part of HIVE.

I was given details about HIVE, where it was located and what being a part of HIVE entailed, but I had no idea of the kind of organization that it actually was.

The pay was decent, it caused me to no longer need to go out on nightly adventures, we went out on various missions and soon became a team. Tib, Pix, Quinn, Gilda, Kris, Blake and me. The females of the group bonded like best friends, Quinn, Blake and Kris had been basically mind controlled to become killing machines, so at first it was kinda creepy to think they could kill me and I could do nothing to defend myself against it, but I didn't do anything to provoke them as was the smart thing to do.

Kris lost his family at a young age, and when I offered him safety and comfort at my home, someone who cared for him like a mother, we soon developed a familial relationship, despite him being just a year or two younger than me. Quinn had never received a gift before, so when I gave her some blade shine for her hoola-hoop blade thingies, I feel we gained a connection, it was nice.

Blake and I got along pretty easily as we shared the common ground of both being animal...people...so that was nice, she was and still is pretty cool with her ribbon weapon thingy-majig. We once helped Gilda when she had the flu, poor Gildy was so scared of going to the medical room in the HIVE base, it took both of us to get Gilda through the doors and down the stairs to the room, when we got there, we stayed with her until she felt better.


A few months working for HIVE and running the comic shop passed by, then someone who I never thought in a hundred years would turn up. Ixen stumbled through the door looking like he'd been through a lot, I didn't recognise him at first, but when I did, it certainly was a surprise. When he realised who I was...we suddenly held each other, I could see the pain he had been put through in his eyes, and I felt horrible. He said he had been looking for me ever since I left, that had been about three years. I thought he would just live with mum and stay with her, I didn't expect that he'd come looking for me with no idea of where to go, poor Ixen, I hurt him so much, I should have never abandoned him.

Since then he lived with me, he had developed an extremely clingy attitude towards me but it was understandable, I had broken him, and I intended to fix him. It was because of me that he was like that. We reconciled our love and would spend days upon days together, I never left his side apart from when I needed to go to HIVE. He didn't like Kris much as he felt Kris would bring danger to me, and yes when Kris shot me in the foot that one time, that was pretty bad, but I was okay, it just reinforced Ixen's dislike of Kris.

Eventually, after spending months together, holding each other in bed, snuggling, kissing, falling in love with each other again, Ixen proposed, it was the happiest day of my life. I was sure that our futures were destined to be entwined with each other. I loved him so much, and he loved me. It was tricky to keep in contact with my mum as the den was so isolated, so when I received a phone call from her I was surprised. I told her how I was and caught her up on everything that had happened, the next week she was already over with a visit along with my aunts and cousins, a little get together to celebrate Ixen and mine's engagement. As a gift, and a general way of calling home, my mum gave us a free standing wooden framed mirror, it was enchanted in a way which it connected to another mirror of the same kind back at the den, so we could almost do a magical Skype call to each other, it was fun, and a relief that I could finally call home easily.

A few weeks after, Zydons came, they were trying to take over Jump by force, zapping people with their blasters and canons and other alien technology. Tib had devised a plan to make HIVE the heroes of the city, and show up the Titans. But while I was at HIVE...at one of the meetings...Ixen he...(wet tear stains smudge some of the writing) I came home...nothing...pile of ash...store had been trashed...Zydons the cause...scattered Ixen in the forest.

He was gone...the love of my life had been killed...by those f**king Zydons. I was glad to put Tib's plan into motion, destroying the mothership and putting every single one of those f**ckers into the ground, turning them into dust, what they did to my beloved. Ixen had said we should escape to the forest and live as foxes, at least until the invasion passed over, I should have listened to him but instead I stayed to look after my store and help with my HIVE duties, I was an idiot and it's my fault that he's dead. I will never forgive myself for leaving him alone on that day.

It was the day that my music died, it was the day that I stopped feeling genuine happiness, any positive emotion that I could feel, died with Ixen. Now I only wear a mask of emotions, where deep down inside all I feel is pain and sadness. For some people grief fades with time, but not me, every moment of every day of every hour of every second, I live with that pain and guilt, we were meant to be together, destined to be together, we had a future all planned out for us...but the Zydons took it from us, and I will never forgive them for that, I will never forgive myself for leaving for HIVE on that day.

Tib had left town after the Zydon invasion and I eventually found out that dear Luna had been shot in the chest by the Zydons, she had been a sweet customer of mine, a mermaid. Once Tib had revealed himself as the multimillionaire known as Mal'antai, husband to Luna, I understood why he had skipped down, everyone deals with grief in their own way.


I've contemplated things, things that I won't talk about, but each time I remind myself of my mother and my family and friends, and I realise that if I did such things, I would be putting them through the same pain that I feel right now. I would never, ever want them to feel such sorrow and heartache as I feel for my beloved.

I try my best to distract myself, talking to friends as much as I can, going out, inviting friends over, anything to stop myself from feeling so alone, anything to stop the store from being so empty. I miss him, and I will always miss him, but I know that he's watching over me now, standing alongside Inari and watching over what I do from the heavens, that thought at least gives me a little comfort. One day, when I'm old and grey and lived a full one thousand years, I'll join him in the heavens, and I know that even though I may look old, I know Ixen will still love me. As I look along my desk now I see the little charcoal fox that he carved for me, the only remnant of Ixen. I shall treasure it always as I treasured him.

From then on though, I've been trying my best to stop myself from being so lonely, keeping in regular contact with my mother and my friends and letting them stay over and doing stuff with HIVE, anything to distract me. My fan club has grown significantly and some have even built up the courage to give me chocolates and ask me out, but of course I've declined, I don't feel they're really wanting what I really have to offer in a relationship, they're just poor, misguided nerds who're just as lonely as I am.

When the Russian attack happened, things became quite chaotic, but thankfully Tib once again came up with a plan, although during that mission at the prison I thought I had lost Kris, and almost Quinn. I had found what appeared to be Kris' dead body outside, I couldn't believe it, first Ixen, now Kris. Later on, Quinn also faked her death with the poison she had created. In Kris' situation it had been just a matter of him using a doppelgänger in the Russian army, but in Quinn's case I had to actually work hard to save her.

Pix like the idiot he sometimes was, had promised Quinn's dead body to Caesar, our HIVE resident Mojo-Jojo. When Pix came to me and explained it all to me, I didn't wait. I took my car and drove right to Quinn's location. When I discovered where Quinn's body was, Caesar was almost ready to slice her open. I used my clones to trick and cause chaos for the monkey, and I managed to slip Quinn's body out through the window at the back before climbing through it myself, I then carried her body to the car where I drove off and didn't stop driving, I didn't want Caesar to follow us or anything. To be honest it was all going on instinct, I was scared but at the same time I knew I had to save Quinn. When she woke up in the back of the car I was pleasantly relieved, despite her being naked, but then I was able to drive back home and get her some clothes.


After a while, HIVE seemed to dry up a little, I hadn't heard much from any of the group. While walking along the street one day I met Ali, an enthusiastic and charming little thief. We went on a few heists together and to this day we're still good friends.

A few weeks ago Quinn just suddenly turned up, don't ask me how or why, but it was a welcome surprise. She told me that she wanted to learn how to act more "normal" so I suggested that she stay with me so I could teach her all I knew and help her.

Another person who has recently appeared in my life is Cain, a very interesting and very fun kind of woman. She and I share the same ambitious minds, I'd met her a few times before and we had become friends, so when she came to me asking for money in order to build a café nearby, I welcomed the idea and gave her the money that she needed, now we're in the process of finding a suitable place for her café. I suggested maybe getting rid of the rival comic shop across the road so our businesses would be across the road from each other, and of course that would be very convenient for our customers

That's about all that's happened to this point now. I plan to write more as more events happen, but for now, I'm just going to nurse this mega hand cramp that I now have.

A few things that I failed to mention in my last massive session of writing, is that after Tib had left HIVE, Pix took over as leader, he was pretty good to be honest and I respected him as our leader, even if others didn't. I could understand how hard it must have been to manage a group of criminals and villains. One time he actually came to me for advice, of course I offered what I could as I do for all my friends, I think talking about his concerns actually helped him too, I'd like to think that I helped him and it seemed like my advice worked. To be honest I just felt warm and fuzzy when he came to me for advice, out of anyone else in the group, he came to me, I felt closer to him because of that.

Another significant being in my life who I somehow failed to mention before, is Scapegoat. He's a ghoul who eats corpses, so as you can guess he does smell like death. He also enjoys bringing as much dirt into my house as possible as well as the odd worm crawling around in his ear, despite those..uhh...characteristics however, he is the one who's tried to keep me somewhat stable through my time in Jump city. He often visits me and somehow manages to cheer me up if I'm feeling sad. I don't know why, but he seems to have something about him that makes you look past the smell and the insects and the dirt, and then all you see is the sweet heart that he has, he really does seem to value his friends, or me at least. I haven't seen him for quite a while, so I do hope he visits again soon, I hope he's okay, I could really use some cheering up from him.


Another significant person who has recently entered my life is Cain, or "Candy-Cain" as I enjoy calling her. She and I are business associates as well as friends, she first showed a budding interest in trading cards and well, from there we started talking and got to know each other. She wants to have her own café, like how I have my own comic store. When she came to me to ask for some money to get herself started I happily obliged, hopefully she can find a space nearby, as well as get rid of some competition from the comic store across the road. I hope that with her planning to be so close that we become closer friends, she seems really cool and fun to be with, maybe I should invite her for a sleepover sometime.