Author Topic: The Sakura 4x4- Epilogue-Part XII: Karma (Sept 3) COMPLETE  (Read 142161 times)

Offline Malley

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The Sakura 4x4- Epilogue-Part XII: Karma (Sept 3) COMPLETE
« on: October 29, 2014, 06:02:52 PM »
The Sakura's are back!  *Confetti*  Yay!  So, this is my second attempt at a 4x4 dynasty.  I sort of gave up on my first attempt around generation 3 but wanted another go at it.  I'm shooting for HoF again unless I completely mess up somewhere down the line (which is probable).  Anyway, I wanted to post the introduction to this story before November because I will be doing National Novel Writing Month so my posts will be a little infrequent.  For those who have not read the Sakura Immortals, this story can be read alone.  For those who have, I think you'll be pretty happy to see who the main character is  :)

Prologue (Part I)- Accidental Hero

My childhood was nothing extraordinary.  I grew up a happy child with parents who loved me.





Growing up, my father always told me that I was the greatest gift he was ever given.  That always made me smile because I knew that he was immortal and had been around for a long, long time and had been through a lot and had seen a lot of things.  I was the apple of his eye and I loved my Mom and my Dad very much.



We had a lot of fun together.  We played games every night after I would come home from school. 





These are some of the many memories that I would cherish forever.  Coming from a family of immortals, that was not a phrase that was to be taken lightly.



I developed a love of the arts, which most likely came from my Dad.  I enjoyed painting and also discovered later on that I enjoyed writing too.  With a best selling author as a father how could I not?



Once I was ready to age up into a Young Adult, I was really looking forward to pursuing a career in the arts.

 

However, shortly after my birthday, things took a sudden turn for the worse.



It was very unexpected, especially since I didn't know what to do or how to react to the situation that I was suddenly thrust into against my will.  But I couldn't let that situation get the best of me.  I was going to do whatever it took to come out on top.



My name is Niji Sakura and this is the story on how I saved my family.







Niji's traits are: Disciplined, Family Oriented, Virtuoso, Bookworm and Artistic.
Her Lifetime Wish is to become an Illustrious Author.

And yes, Niji is the daughter of Shikon (the final heir of the second Sakura dynasty) and his wife, Jeanna.  Niji, for the record, means "rainbow" in Japanese.  I thought that was fitting since she really is the culmination of all the Japanese color names I've used for my 16 immortals. 

And, since I absolutely love name themes, I will be using themes in this dynasty too.  Each world will have a different theme based on some of the themes I've used in the past.  The first theme will be one I've used for a random town jump side project of mine: places.

Offline Lisa46

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part I): Accidental Hero
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2014, 06:13:33 PM »
Yes! Yes! Another Sakura story! I shall be reading.



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Offline Brooke.

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part I): Accidental Hero
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2014, 11:07:06 AM »
Yay, Shikon had a beautiful girl and I will be reading all about the new Sakuras  ;D
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Offline Malley

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part I): Accidental Hero
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2014, 09:36:30 PM »
Yes! Yes! Another Sakura story! I shall be reading.

I suspected you might be doing a 4x4. I will be reading.

Yay, Shikon had a beautiful girl and I will be reading all about the new Sakuras  ;D

Thanks guys!  It's nice to be working with the Sakura's again.



*NOTE- If anyone has seen The Legend of Korra, the interactions between the two characters in this chapter is similar to that of Varrick and his assistant, Zhu Li.  At least, that's how I see it and it's pretty funny that way*

Prologue (Part II)- Grim Numbers

"These Immortal Dynasties are killing me." Grim said flatly as he stared out the window of his personal office.



"Killing you, sir?" Grim's personal assistant, Julie, asked. "Is that even possible?"



"It was just a joke, Julie." Grim said. "Don't you have a sense of humor?"
"No."
Grim paused.
"Oh." he said.
He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by her answer.  Julie had always been all work and no play.



"Right." Grim continued, clearing his throat. "So we need to find a way around these immortal dynasties.  These people are becoming immortal and not dying.  Not dying means I don't meet my quota."
"You have a quota?" Julie questioned.
"Sort of." Grim replied.
He came over to his desk and took a seat in the chair.  "There's got to be some way around these immortal dynasties.  There's got to be a way to figure out how to stop these people from becoming immortal..."
Grim's sentence trailed off as an idea floated into his head.  He quickly fired up his computer and began to research this possibility to combat the growing numbers of immortals in the Sim Nation.



"Did you have an idea, sir?" Julie asked after a moment of silence between the two.
"I just might." Grim replied.



"I want to run this by you, Julie." Grim began to say.
"Sir?" Julie replied.



"What if there was a way to go back and prevent some of these immortals from becoming, well, immortal?" Grim asked.
"Is that even possible?"
"I'm not sure." Grim said honestly.



"I'm speaking hypothetically here," Grim continued. "But what if I were to go back in time and prevent-in some way or another-the immortals from achieving immortality?"



"Think about it," Grim said.
He got up from his desk and took a seat next to Julie.  "I think this might be doable.  If I go back in time, I could somehow prevent the immortals from becoming immortal.  If they don't reach immortality, then they're all mine."
"I guess." Julie said. "How would you pick your immortals?  There are so many to choose from."



"Good point." Grim conceded.
He went back over to his computer.  Grim wanted to check through the very extensive list of immortals that existed all throughout Sim Nation.  He closed his eyes and clicked randomly on a family name.  "Let's see..." he mumbled, leaning closer to his computer screen to see who the (un)lucky family was. "The Sakura Immortals.  There are sixteen of them.  Perfect!"
Grim stood up once again and walked over to the corner of his office.  He conjured up a time machine and it appeared out of thin air in front of him.  "I just input some numbers here..."



"...And...we're good!" Grim announced. "Julie, I may be gone for a while.  Hold my calls!"
And with that, Grim hopped into the time machine to do his sabotage on the immortals of the Sakura family.  Julie looked on as her boss disappeared into the grey contraption.



With silence filling the room, Julie turned and headed back to her desk.  This was going to be a long day.





The absolutely awesome Grim Reaper you saw in this chapter was used here with permission by his creator, chetanhaobijam.  Thanks, Chet!  Grim is available for download on the forum if you'd like to play around with him as well  :)

Offline Brooke.

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part II): Grim Numbers (Oct 30)
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2014, 06:30:59 AM »
The Grim is certainly going to mess up a lot of immortal Sims' hard work  >:(

I really need to start watching Legend Of Korra again.
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Offline CeresIn

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part II): Grim Numbers (Oct 30)
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2014, 05:09:38 PM »
The Sakuras are back!!  ;D ;D ;D

I liked your prologue. It will be interesting to see the consequences of the intervention of the Grim with the family.

I love the name of your founder, by the way.

I like that you've started a 4x4. I'm seriously thinking of doing one after the immortal dynasty. It will be good to see the ideas as you face the challenge.



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Offline Malley

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part II): Grim Numbers (Oct 30)
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2014, 07:52:18 PM »
The Grim is certainly going to mess up a lot of immortal Sims' hard work  >:(

I really need to start watching Legend Of Korra again.

Same here.  I have a few episodes that I haven't gotten around to watching yet...

The Sakuras are back!!  ;D ;D ;D

I liked your prologue. It will be interesting to see the consequences of the intervention of the Grim with the family.

I love the name of your founder, by the way.

I like that you've started a 4x4. I'm seriously thinking of doing one after the immortal dynasty. It will be good to see the ideas as you face the challenge.

Thanks, CeresIn!  I thought Niji was a good idea for a name since I have done all the colors that I know in Japanese.  If you're thinking of doing a 4x4, let me know.  I'd be interested in reading  :)



Prologue (Part III)- When Worlds Collide

I had been working on a new painting at my easel when things started to feel funny.  I felt dizzy and needed to sit down.  I tried to go over to the couch to lie down but never managed to get there.  I went to pull my hair back out of my face and I couldn't believe my eyes.  My hands were translucent; I could see right through them.  Frightened and confused, I ran toward the bathroom to look in the mirror.  When I did, I saw myself fading right before my eyes.  I was utterly stunned.  What was going on?  Why was I fading?  What was happening to me?

I was then transported to some strange room in some strange place.



I looked around, trying to figure out where I was.  The floor was cold and black.  The walls were a dark blood red and were illuminated by the flaming torches attached to them.



Peering down the hallway, I spotted a door.  I began walking toward it and noticed that it was sort of eerie.  It was cold and black like the floor and seemed to be designed to look like a spider web.  Despite this, I continued down the hallway.



I tried the handle of the door and found it unlocked.  I headed inside and found myself in another room that was similar to the hallway that I had just come from.



The room was quite expansive but was primarily empty.  The only things that were in the room were a few chairs that gave this room the feel of almost being a waiting room.  So, I took a seat in one of the chairs to take a moment and observe my surroundings.



I didn't have much time to look around though because the other set of doors opened and a blonde woman walked through. 

"Miss Sakura?" she asked.
I nearly jumped out of my seat.
"Yes, that's me." I confirmed. "What's going on?  Where am I?"
"Please come with me." the woman said.
She turned and began walking through the doors she had just come through, apparently expecting me to follow her.



"Have a seat." the woman instructed once we were in the conjoining room. 
Uncertain, I did as she instructed.  I glanced at the woman over my shoulder.  She had retreated to a desk in the corner of the room, which I presumed was her personal desk.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked the woman.
"The boss will explain everything in a minute." she said flatly.

There was a grey box in the corner that suddenly began to shake and light up.  Suddenly, the door on the grey box opened and someone-or something-stepped out of it.  The Grim Reaper.  I had to admit that I was taken aback by his appearance. 
"What's going on?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice from shaking as much as possible. "Why am I here?"
Grim did not reply right away.  Instead, he came over and took a seat at the desk in front of me.



"Niji Sakura," Grim began to say.
I looked at him expectantly.  "Let me be frank: if you're here, you're dead."
"How am I dead?" I exclaimed.
"Okay, maybe not dead," Grim said. "But you technically don't exist anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?"



"Well, you see, I wanted to find a way to bring the immortals in the many, many immortal dynasties across Sim Nation to me, where they rightfully should be at this point in time.  They have long since lived past their expiration date and I needed to find a way around it." Grim said. "I needed a test family and yours happened to be it."
"So what does that mean?" I questioned.
"It means that I have-unintentionally-erased you from existence."



"YOU DID WHAT?" I shouted.
Grim let out a breath.
"How can I explain this..." he paused. "Okay, I went back in time and took away the immortality that your ancestors achieved because they are defying the laws of death and I needed a way to combat that.  It doesn't do much for my quota, you see.  So, since they are not immortal, the line dies out and you simply cease to exist."



"You can't be serious!" I replied. "You can't do that!"
"Actually, I already did." Grim stated.
"Please," I pleaded. "I will do anything.  Bring my family back.  I don't care if you don't bring me back.  Just bring my family back.  Please."
Grim stood up and walked away slowly from his desk.  He seemed to be lost in thought but I wasn't sure what he was doing.  I jumped slightly in my chair when Grim through his hands up in the air and let out an exasperated sigh.
"I'm growing soft in my old age," he mumbled to himself.



Grim turned around to face me.  "Your dedication to your family is admirable, Miss Sakura." he told me. "I can see why they managed to make it through two immortal dynasties.  Based on that, I'm willing to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" I repeated. "What kind of deal?"



"You want to save your family right?" Grim asked.
I nodded.
"More than anything." I assured him.
"Alright.  I'll give you one chance, Miss Sakura." he said as he came over and took a seat next to me. "You can save your family by starting your own dynasty."
"An immortal dynasty?"
Grim shook his head.
"Oh no.  That would be too easy."



"I will pose the challenge of another kind to you if you want to save your family," Grim continued. "There are how many Sakura immortals?"
"Sixteen." I explained.
"Sixteen.  Perfect."



"The challenge that I am assigning you will be a little different.  This will be a 4x4 dynasty."
"A 4x4 dynasty?" I repeated.



"I'm not familiar with that one," I admitted.
Grim proceeded to explain the rules to me.  I would need to have a child and he or she would be the first heir.  Each heir would need to each max a unique job, find two unique best friends, complete three skill challenges and complete four opportunities.  The family would also need to collect and upgrade all of the buildings and properties in the town we lived in.  They would also each need to earn a career reward and four items of a kind to put into a collection.  Four tombstones would also need to be collected over the generations before the fourth heir would move to a new city to begin all over again.  This process would be repeated four times until sixteen generations have completed the challenge.



"If you can complete the challenge, I will not only make your family and descendants immortal, but I will restore the lives of your ancestors.  All sixteen of them.  Sixteen descendants for sixteen ancestors.  That's fair, I think." Grim stated.
I nodded as Grim returned to his desk.
"Yes, I think I can handle that." I replied.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that I will need to shorten your lifespan first?"



I stared at Grim.
"Say what?"
"Yep.  Part of the challenge is to do it with a shorter lifespan." Grim said. "Hey, it wouldn't be a challenge without a challenging aspect, right?"
I let out a breath. 
"I said I would do anything." I told him. "I accept your terms."
Grim smiled (I think). 
"Perfect.  I will be keeping track of your progress." he said. "My assistant will lead you out so you can go back to your world.  See you soon, Miss Sakura."

On cue, the assistant got up from her desk and came over to me.  She motioned toward the door and I followed her out to the waiting room.
"So he gave you a challenge to save yourself and your family," the assistant said in a very monotone voice. "You're one of the lucky ones."



"So what happens now-" my voice trailed off, as I didn't know the woman's name.
"Julie." she said.
"Julie.  Great.  So what happens now?" I continued.
"You go down that hallway, back the way you came, and you will be transported back to your world." Julie explained.



"And then what?"
"As the boss said.  You complete the challenge." Julie told me.
"On the off chance that something goes wrong," I began to say, though I had a feeling that I probably wouldn't like the answer. "What happens then?"
"You stay here and your family loses its immortality."
"Huh.  No pressure." I remarked.
"Hardly."



"You should get going." Julie added. "Time is ticking away."
"Right."



I headed back down the hallway, just as Julie instructed.  And, just as she said, I was suddenly transported back to my home in Appoloosa Plains. 



Julie watched as the hallway went from occupied to vacant within a few seconds. 
"Good luck..." she whispered.
"JULIE!" Grim called from the other room.
Julie turned and sighed.  No rest for the wicked.



Offline Brooke.

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part III): When Worlds Collide (Nov 1)
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2014, 07:26:06 AM »
I see what you did there on why you're going for a 4x4. Poor Julie, working for the Grim isn't as fun as it would seem.
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Offline Geniequeen122

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part III): When Worlds Collide (Nov 1)
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2014, 01:24:38 PM »
'Ello! Been away from the Sims for a bit, and I find a lovely new Sakura Dynasty waiting for me! Horray!

What Grim did that! No! Bad Grimmy! *Pulls out rolled up newspaper* bring them back or you get whacked into next year!

Offline CeresIn

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part III): When Worlds Collide (Nov 1)
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2014, 10:06:35 PM »
Sixteen heirs for sixteen inmortals. A clever idea to continue with the Sakuras and to unite both dynasties.

(And poor Julie LOL)

Offline Malley

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Prologue (Part III): When Worlds Collide (Nov 1)
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2014, 01:29:36 PM »
I see what you did there on why you're going for a 4x4. Poor Julie, working for the Grim isn't as fun as it would seem.

Sixteen heirs for sixteen inmortals. A clever idea to continue with the Sakuras and to unite both dynasties.

(And poor Julie LOL)


Yeah, that's totally what I had planned when I decided to do a 4x4 It's not like I realized that after I chose to do this one next or anything.

'Ello! Been away from the Sims for a bit, and I find a lovely new Sakura Dynasty waiting for me! Horray!

What Grim did that! No! Bad Grimmy! *Pulls out rolled up newspaper* bring them back or you get whacked into next year!

I think you could teach Julie a thing or two on how to deal with Grim  ;D



Chapter 1- And So it Begins

Just as Julie had said, the moment that I reached the end of the long hallway, I was transported back to my world.



I looked around in disbelief and then cheered.  I was back!



"Niji!" I heard a voice call to me. 
I turned around and smiled brightly at the person who was here with me. 
"Makoto!" I said happily.



"Sweetie, I was so worried about you," Makoto told me. "I came over to find you and you were just gone."
Makoto was my boyfriend.  He and I had been dating for a few years now and were the best of friends.  I considered myself truly lucky to have found a wonderful man such as him.



"I know, Mak, believe me, my disappearance was not planned." I began to explain.
Makoto looked at me curiously.
"What do you mean?" he asked.



I let out a breath.
"You may think I'm crazy but..."
I recounted the tale of what had just transpired: being transported to the underworld, finding out that my family had essentially been wiped from existence, my deal with Grim and then, finally, being the accidental founder of a new Sakura dynasty.



I explained everything in great detail.  I didn't want to leave anything out.  I wanted Makoto to know the whole story.



"You probably think I'm crazy, huh?" I said afterward.
Makoto was silent for a moment.  My heart sank.  I cared deeply for this man and was hoping that he wouldn't turn his back on his suddenly delusional girlfriend.
"So you're going to be the founder of a new dynasty to save your family?" Makoto asked after a moment or two.



"Yep, that's it in a nutshell." I confirmed.
"And you had your life span shortened by Grim to make the challenge, well, challenging?" he continued, making sure to get all of the facts straight.





"You see," I continued. "Time is of the essence in this dynasty, and I would need to have a child right away, so, I would need to be with someone that I truly loved to make this work..."



Makoto held his hand up.  I froze, unsure of his reaction.  He brought his hand up to my face and caressed my cheek gently, lovingly.
"I am honored that you would choose me out of all of the men in Sim Nation," he said with a smile.



"So you'll help me?" I asked, tears of joy welling up in my eyes.
Makoto nodded.
"Of course I will, Niji.  I love you.  I thought you knew that."
I smiled back at him. 
"Any doubt I had is now gone." I assured him.



Makoto and I knew that we needed to begin fresh in a new town to begin the dynasty.  We closed our eyes and picked a town at random: Bridgeport.  We searched through the real estate listings to find a nice place that our family could thrive in for the next few generations until the moving heir would move to a new town once again.  After some searching, Makoto and I agreed on a sunny little place just outside of the busy city.



I hugged Makoto after we officially became the owners of this new house.  I was so relieved that he was by my side and would be helping me on my mission to save my family.



"Hey, Niji," Makoto began to say.
He sounded a little apprehensive about what he was about to say, just like I had been when I was going to drop the bomb on him about the dynasty.  "You said that we needed to have children right away, correct?"
I nodded.
"Within four days," I confirmed.
"Then why wait?" Makoto said.
I smiled and nodded once more.  Makoto and I headed inside to our new bedroom.



I was happy to say that we did, in fact, hear chimes.  Generation one was on the way.  Afterward, Makoto came over to me again and asked me another very important question.
"Niji, I think we should make this official." he said.
I knew exactly what he meant.  "Will you marry me?" Makoto asked.
Smiling, I accepted his proposal.



We married right then and there.  It wasn't anything glamorous or fancy but it was just perfect for the two of us.  Just Makoto and me, pledging our undying love and commitment to each other.



I couldn't have asked for anyone better to begin my life again with.







Makoto, by the way, is Japanese for truth, sincerity, faithful, etc.  I thought it was fitting of his character  :)

Offline CeresIn

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Chapter 1: And So it Begins (Nov 6)
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2014, 04:04:46 PM »
Aw Makoto is so sweet. Good thing he accompany Niji in the adventure.

I see that you are continuing with Japanese names. (I must confess that when reading the name Makoto I can only think of sailor jupiter :P )

Offline Geniequeen122

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Chapter 1: And So it Begins (Nov 6)
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2014, 05:08:49 PM »
Yes! That would be fun, tutoring Julie in the Zen Art of Whacking Grim With a Rolled Up Newspaper!

At least she has the love of her life by her side, if you were cruel, he'd lave her after deciding she was insane :D

Offline Brooke.

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Re: The Sakura 4x4- Chapter 1: And So it Begins (Nov 6)
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2014, 05:12:17 AM »
It would have been really cruel if Makoto hadn't been there at all  ??? But I'm glad he was. Bridgeport is an interesting choice for a starter town.
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