(This story takes place before the game. The characters depicted her are property of Sony and Ninja Theory. This story is my own take on events prior to the game. I have no intentions of harming the image of Sony or Ninja Theory with this fictitious piece.)
*
Nariko awoke suddenly, gasping for air. Her eyes took a moment to adjust, and finally she felt her body relax. The night was cool against her skin, and the slight breeze coming through the window of her shack gave her goose bumps. She lay down again, and pulled the fur blanket up to her neck. Tomorrow was going to be a big day in her life. She would need all the sleep she could get, and with this thought she closed her eyes and drifted back into sleep.
Nariko was something of an anomaly. For centuries her clan had protected the heavenly sword from the clutches of men who would use it for evil. Her father, the clan's leader, was in charge of its safe keeping. Nariko's mother had died giving birth to her, something she had carried on her shoulders all her life. There had been a prophecy that a great warrior would be born to their clan, one who would end the constant struggle to protect the sword. Unfortunately, Nariko had been born instead, and the entire clan had always seen her as a curse form the gods.
Nariko herself carried no illusions, she didn't think the great warrior was her, nor did she think of herself as a curse. She simply was a girl, and that was all. She was different, however, and that difference would finally come to an end tomorrow. Other women in the clan did their womanly duties, cooking, cleaning, sewing clothes. Nariko had always wanted to fight. Her father, with no sons to train, had reluctantly trained her in secret. Now, with her 18th birthday tomorrow, Nariko would try to claim herself as a member of her father's soldiers. On their eighteenth birthdays, the men of her clan, would go out into wilderness, to a place only known by those who survived, where they would be tested. Three rituals were performed, with the other soldiers present to observe. Those who passed were welcomed into the clan, and from there, carried out the duties to protect the heavenly sword. Tomorrow, Nariko would become the first woman to try and pass the trials, and then (she hoped) she would have her father's respect.
Dawn arrived, Nariko awoke, and got out of bed. She had fiery red hair that was so long it came down to her butt. She always slept naked, and as she stood she looked down at her body, a body that may not see tomorrow. She knew that some of the men died during the trials, but she hoped to have the strength to endure. Her calves and thighs were smooth and tight with muscle, her stomach hard and lean above her shaven center. Her breasts were firm and proud, standing straight out from her chest. Her arms were also impressive, beautifully sculpted from the countless hours spent wielding a sword. She dressed in the same clothes she always wore. The breast supporter she had sewn herself to help keep her breasts steady in a fight, and the thong to cover her vagina. She then slipped on her sarong, which was opened in a slit to her mid thigh to allow her better range of movement, and the blouse which was identical to a man's except hers was white, and the men wore a dark purple. She finished her outfit with the gold trimmed red belt. She was now ready to become a warrior. ***
Nariko walked through the jungle slowly, following the instructions her father had given her. She was about to think she had made a mistake, when she brushed a large piece of foliage from her path and the site of the trials was revealed. She paused a moment at the magnitude of it. She was looking out onto a round bricked platform, that was completely surrounded by the jungle. So thick was the jungle wall around it, that a person could be within two feet of it and not know it was there. She stepped onto the stones under her feet and looked around. It was not a big circle, maybe twenty yards in diameter, and there was nothing in it or on it but her. Nariko walked to the center, and stood, waiting, for the trials to begin.
Two hours later she was still waiting, hand on the hilt of her sword, for someone to come and the trials to begin. She did not move, she stood with the sun shining down on her and waited. Movement on her right, she turned and drew her sword! Her father stepped out of the jungle.
"Congratulations, Nariko." he said. "You have passed the first trial, we must forever be patient, to jump forward without knowing your destination will get you and those who follow you killed."
"Thank you, father." Nariko said, dropping her sword to her side.