Ichiko Iko

Ichiko was the ideal little girl; she was loving, pleasant and witty. Her parents decided early that once she was old enough, she would become one of the geisha, the trained performers and companions at teahouses. Ichiko was honored to fufill the wishes of her parents, though she didn't realize exactly where that road would lead her.

She studied the ways of the geisha. True to her nature, Ichiko learned quickly. She studied singing, dancing and instrumental music. She became well-versed in traditional kabuki and noh theater styles, as well as in Japanese literature and history. She had always been polite, but now she learned the finest points of etiquette and converstaion. She became skilled at making others feel witty and interesting, even when they were introverted and boring.

Ichiko went through her erigaishi, the ceremony where a maiko becomes a full-fledhed geisha, when she was 18. She enjoyed her work, and the teahouse customers enjoyed her company. In addition, she was often hired to entertain at private or corporate parties. It was on one such evening that a high-ranking member of the Nakato gumi became intoxicated and divulged some rather compromising information about the Yakuza to Ichiko. Normally Ichiko would simply keep quiet about such indiscretion, but in this case the information was about activities which were highly illegal.

Troubled, Ichiko decided to inform the authorities and thought nothing more of the incident until a few nights later. Four assailants dragged her out of bed, apologized to her and told her that she would have to die because of her regrettable lack of discretion. The stress of her life-or-death situation caused Ichiko's M-R node to erupt, and she calmly explained to the men that she'd only done her duty. she politely asked them if they would please allow her to live. They released her and left, but only after they helped her pack and tidy up her room.

Ichiko suspected that she must be a nova and she contacted Project Utopia. She left Japan with a great deal of information on the Nakato. While her combat skills were nonexistent, she had long wished to become a part of Team Tomorrow. It was impossible for anyone to say no to Ichiko, and she was assigned to the team shortly. Since then, she has become the single most skilled diplomat on the planet, using her nova powers to bring peace to some of the most volatile situations in history.

While her abilites do not seem to immediately qualify her for a position on Team Tomorrow, T2M-A/P thinks of Ichiko as its secret weapon. Her ability to have others, including her enemies, do her bidding for her - with no hint of violence - makes Ichiko one of the more powerful and highly paid members of the Team. Since others seem to have a deep desire to do what she asks, only her deeply rooted sense of honor and drive to do the proper thing prevent her from becoming the most powerful con-artist or cult leader in the world.