The life an Ikehara consisted of two paths, one being a rich bureaucrat, living in the high society of Japan's upper circles. Living in houses placed on compounds on the roofs of skyscrapers, going to secret parties full of the wealthy elite. You would never have to worry for a thing, and you would have access to any avenue. You wanted to be a high stakes player in the Japanese Stock Market? Done. You want to become a tech company able to rival those in the top 100? Easy. The path's were unlimited for the lucky Ikehara Clan members born after the First Child of their familial branch. For their family held within its circles, a secret so deep, it touched some of the very roots that snaked through the Japanese Government and Economy. The Ikehara was a clan whose existence was kept very close to the chest of Japan's high society, both politically and business wise.

The Ikehara Clan has been around since the days of Feudal Japan, a clan of farmers, turned to bandit ninjas after the local lord had their crops confiscated. They were a small fish in a fast ocean at first, knowing any attention from a big fish would mean the instant eradication of their Clan. But with no meaningful returns from their new avenue of business, they instead turned to a more mystical means of gaining more fortune and power. Climbing to the highest mountain tops in country side, they found themselves at a place only known as "The Pond". It was said a mysterious man lived deep within a cave, where a lush jungle and pond at the center laid inside, upon the tallest mountain in the region. The rumors of the man were said to be that of Sage capable of giving blessings to clans offering up something equal to what they were asking for. With nothing to lose, they came to the great sage, pleading to make their clan both successful and powerful enough to keep what was theirs. In turn, they would offer up every first born to be his acolyte, something the sage had never been offered before.

However what the Ikehara were blind too, was that the Sage was nothing more than a power Oni, one named Shuten-dōji. He had been sealed in the cave, by the very sage he was appearing to people as at the center of the pond. Making the deal with the Oni would yield instant results, as all of the current Ikehara Clan members at the time were given the "Branding of Shuten-dōji" a tattoo-esque scar that appeared in different places for each. They were all blessed with unique abilities the Oni was capable of. As would every first born of a new familiar branch, And in the matter of years, the Ikehara had become one of the nations greatest Clans, supply a spy network of ninja's all through Japan, and eventually supply Samurai for armies and the like. Surviving through many wars and conflicts, the Ikehara family would slowly begin to wipe any trace of their warriors, and instead replaced their family trade for bureaucracy.

This step would allow for the evolution of a Clan known for their seeming mystical warriors, to one of the richest and business-savy Clans in japan. It also allowed the family to survive through the many different emperor and eventually complete political changes Japan would face through it's history. While they were not the most powerful, or the most rich, they gave the argument for the Clan with the most influence for the many hundreds of years they've existed since meeting the Oni. This is a rough explanation of the Ikehara Clan's history and leads us the birth of Eri Ikehara, a "Cursed Child" of the Ikehara. Though her story is far from the normal within the clan.

Born to a second son of the Ikehara Clan, Ryoto Ikehara, and a daughter of an effluent Japanese Tech Company CEO, Naiko Oyama, the two were bond together by an arraigned marriage. Though this didn't mean they didn't love each other, they weren't necessarily in love at first. Ryoto had no interest in having a child, painfully aware of what it would mean for the kid, while Naiko, who was in the dark of the Ikehara secret, one dream was to have children of her own. Through many years of abstaining from trying, Eri ended up as an unfortunate accident, a phrase she would become all to familiar with. Born a healthy baby girl, she of course was born with the marking of the family curse, as well as the signature blue hair and red eyes. However unlike most in the Clan's recent history, her powers didn't manifest immediately, and so she was allowed to live with her parents. Though her dad kept his distance from the girl, her mother cherished the beautiful little girl.

The mom would take her everywhere, spoil her rotten almost, and for the first years of her life, she was the perfect daughter. She was known to draw the attentions of parties with her beauty and pure joy and wonder. At a young age, she was always curious of the world around her. She would ask her mother what sometimes felt like thousands of questions in the day. And her mother always obliged, never growing impatient or tired of the girls questions, and Eri would say this is what caused her to want to be a scientist at the age of four. Her mothers unending support, and the constant compliments and love that her family and friends would give her, was sending her on a path of incredible success and wealth. But all of this would change one summer day when she was seven. After watching a martial arts movie for the first time, her mother finally lamenting and letting her and her siblings finally watch one, she was left to enjoy herself for the rest of the day. Sneaking a steak knife out in secret, Eri would playfully slash at the air, mocking the movements she had seen on the screen with surprising ease. Deciding her shadow opponent was no match for her, she turned her eyes on an old tree in their families garden. Said to be over a hundred years old, this tree had come to be one of Eri's favorite spots to come play. And so, looking at the tree and playing slashing around it, Eri went to slice into the Tree. Closing her eyes at the point of contact, the resistance she expected to feel, instead felt as if she had only slashed the air.

Opening her eyes, she was met with the alarming sight of a diagonal clean cut, as if it had been cut through with an enormous bandsaw. Immediately crying for cutting down one of her favorite places, she was crying so hard, she neglected to realize with the tree was coming down towards her. Out of seemingly no where, her father suddenly scooping her up and dived out of the way, as where she once stood was now a crater in the ground from the weight of the tree. Her father stood in disbelief at the sight of the tree, confused as to how it happened. Though once he saw the knife in his daughter's hand, he very quickly put it altogether. Grabbing the knife from her hand, he dragged the girl into her room and locked it behind her. Despite already crying and protesting, her father was now even more cold-hearted towards the girl. After an hour of no contact, she heard her parents talking outside her door. Though she was too young to understand what they were talking about, she could hear that her mother was furious, something that Eri had never heard from her before.

It was then that the house seemed to shake, as a helicopter landed in the garden of the house. Eri was unable to see out the window completely, so so she was unsure of who exactly it was. She heard what seemed like the whole house beginning to scurry around, something that happened only when an important guest would be coming. Then she felt it, as if there was something watching her in the shadows of the room. She experienced a full body shiver, and her body immediately was covered in goosebumps. Then the house seemed to fall silent, making her out her ear to the door. She was only able to make out the sound of a person walking with a cane. The slow tapping started faint at first, becoming louder with each tap. Stepping away from the door, her curse brand glowing as the tapping stopped in front of the door. "Open the door child." Her body moving involuntarily, her movements inhuman, as if she was simply a puppet on strings. Her body ached in pain beyond an unbearable amount, but was unable to utter a word, not even cry a single tear. Eri opened the door to be face to face with the oldest Elder of the Ikehara Clan.

Masuyo Ikehara, said to be the greatest head of the Ikehara Clan's very long existence, was only small in stature. Any person who underestimated the tiny woman, would find a swift and almost always, tragic and horrific death in their not to distant future. She embodied the Ikehara Clan within the very fibers of her being. There was nothing more important in this world then the Clan's success, and there was no success without ruthlessness and power. Her 60 year's of being the head of the family, and before that 15 years of being the head of the Ikehara Clans warriors at the age of 20, left a prolific era of change for the Ikehara clan. Before, they were a part of high society, now they lead it, admired by the other clans. Not only ruthless, she had a brilliant academic mind, understanding science and technology was a new frontier for them to conquer. She even personally trained the First Born's on account of her Curse's power, "The Kings Will", a magical ability that allowed complete control over someone's body and mind. And this is why she was here, after quickly accessing what Eri's ability was, she whisked the child away without a second thought. Her parents unable to even say goodbye to her, she would from then on become a part of the First Borns ranks.

It was suffice to say that Eri would never be the same after the meeting with Masuyo. She was immediately taken to the Ikehara Clan's first estate, though it now looked like a small fortress compared to what it used to be. She would be stuck within its walls for seven long years. In this time, she was not spared one bit from the "homeschooling" of Masuyo, maybe even being pushed harder on account of starting her training at a later period then many of the others. Masuyo would give Eri private lessons, in which the child's identity and personality was slowly, maliciously, picked apart and rewired. Masuyo was disgusted with the little girl at first, making sure to never let the girls bright and wonderful personality come out in front of the old woman with her power. Masuyo started with the little girls mind, and once broken within the first couple months, reforging her so to speak into a cold and quiet person. Then when the old lady felt satisfied with the results, she would throw the child into the proverbial flames of sparring. Sufficiently getting her shit kicked in for months, Eri who had never fought, nor come close to any negative confrontation, was suddenly consistently bullied by the others. It didn't matter if she was a frail little girl, her more experienced cousins spared no sympathy for the girl and in a way it accelerated Eri's growth tenfold.

She refused to simply be broken by the Ikehara, and so she adapted. She would become the chameleon her elder wanted, a capable warrior who pushed through every obstacle placed in front of them. She trained harder, pushed herself further, it was almost as if a switch was flipped in her brain. What she would later come to realize as her psyche finally breaking under the pressure, Eri would quickly become ruthless, pushing her sparring partners to the limit after finally improving substantially in combat. This would transfer over into her other "studies" as well, what was once hatred, become dedication to the cause. Of course this was all artificial, a way for Eri to hide her true feelings and keep the heat off of her. Within the first two years of her new life, she would already catch up to the majority of her cousins. Masuyo was on record as saying Eri's growth was alarming and might need to be limited in order for her to not become too powerful before fully under her wing. The elder saw the potential for an Ikehara who could follow in her footsteps, if guided the proper way. And so, this would be Eri's norm. Eventually focusing her combat arts into a terrifying mix of Jujitsu, TKD, Ninjutsu (Japanese martial art of unconventional fighting) and Kenjutsu/Kendo. She also exhibited a knack for most bladed forms of combat, on account of her curse's ability.

This would continue on for many years, up until her 13th birthday, to which a turning point had happened. Standing close to the top of the class at this point, Eri had become a force to reckon'd with, within the First-Borns of her generation. She was frighteningly ruthless, and with a nasty power to bat, whispers that Eri could potentially follow in the footsteps of Masuyo began to circulate first within the First-Borns, then within the clan. Eventually the Japanese Government caught wind of the talented child, and attempted to recruit the girl from Masuyo. Offering something to good to pass up, Eri was to be shipped out within the next year on her 14th birthday to a Japanese Military Black Site. By this point Eri had given up on trying to go against the status quo of her family. How could she ever stand up to Masuyo and the clan, hell she didn't even know if her parents cared for her anymore, as she hadn't seen them since the day Masuyo took her away to this hell. She resigned herself to the idea that this was really going to be her life forever. And so for a year, Eri was trained evenharder, to insure she would be ready for the Japanese Military. It was until the night before she were to leave, that her mother and father came to her in the night. They seemed to simply teleport in front of the child, Eri not even being able to recognize the two. They on the other hand, rushed the girl into a group hug, even her father tearing up at the sight of his now teenage daughter. They couldn't explain how or why they were there, just that they were going to save her from the reaches of the Ikehara, if only for a little while.

They would explain that they had secured her a place to go to a school for people like her. She would be able to learn whatever she wanted, and be able to become whatever came to her. It was a ticket to freedom, a new chance at life, to be a kid again. Somewhere safe from the Ikehara's money and power. They told Eri they would teleport her to a dock on the Japanese coast, that would have a man who would smuggler her out of the country. Once free, she would be met at a dock on the west coast of America, where a school representative would be to pick her up and insure she made it to the school safely. With the sounds of the alarm suddenly blaring, her father took her face in his hands "Im sorry for distancing myself from you, I know nothing i say right now will fix it, but understand that I've done nothing but miss and worry about you since you've been gone. I love you my daughter" he said before teleporting away. An explosion rang out on the otherside of the compound, as Eri's mother took the childs hands and held them out. "I should have fought harder for you, we both should've. But we cant change what happened, only what will happen. We'll see you in a couple months once this all blows over and we can just...talk, okay? I would say i love you my little one, but you so big now. We promise to make it up to you okay?" Eri the whole while unable to speak. She had thought about what she would say to her parents for letting this happen to her. But now that they appeared infront of her, she was frozen. All she wanted was to cry in her mother chest, as so she did. Though for only a moment before more explosions closer to Eri's room rang out. "I'm sorry my baby, there's no more time left, take this and show it to the man fishing at the end of the dock. He'll be wearing a gray jacket and red fishermen ha-" her mother stopped and looked towards the door. A kick suddenly rang out against the door and her mother put her hand on Eri's head. Mouthing I love you, Eri was very disoriented as she was suddenly teleported to an undisclosed Dock in the city.

The rest essentially writes itself and now Eri will be enrolling for her first year of Anepool Academy. It has been an exceptionally rocky ride, as she was wired to not trust anyone after years of mental and physical abuse. Anepool helped with her rehabilitation, as a part of the deal her parents seemed to make for her, and while she was a couple of months out of from the school year, everyday was an intense challenge leading up to the start of the school year. She met with a therapist, who only after two months of listening to the woman talk did she open up. Really after finally be able to speak about her past to someone who wasn't her family, she was able to start the process of becoming a regular kid again. While she had never killed anyone, the environment she was in at the Ikehara Compound could only be described as hyperviolent. Telling someone lifted both a metaphorical and a mental barrier for Eri. And by the start of the school year, she was rehabilitated just enough to be able to participate in the school year. She is still most definitely a work in progress and everyday is another day further from the hell she came from. She is working hard everyday to try and retake her life back from the clutches of the Ikehara Clan.