Disclaimer: I don't own Tomba. Takki (grandfather) and Ret (mother), however, I do.

A/N: I love this game! It's pretty old, yes, but I started playing it again just recently and I just had to write a fanfic for it. I think what I like best about the game is how colorful, eccentric, captivating, unique…okay, I admit, there's a lot I like about the game. Especially how cute Tomba is!!

And sorry for the crappy title…

Summary: Tomba/Tombi pregame fic, possibly AU. A boy's innocence is tested as he grows to meet his destiny. Will the one destined to save the world do it out of hate…or forgiveness?

-Innocence-

When his grandson was born, Takki had to keep himself from laughing aloud. It wasn't out of any kind of malicious intent, oh no…but somehow he knew his daughter Ret wouldn't appreciate it after having undergone several hours of intense labor. Still, the smile was wide on his face as he gently took a hold of the wailing newborn, and bent down slightly to nuzzle his face into the bright pink hair. It was such a strange color, although perhaps not completely unexpected – the father had red hairs, and instead of producing grays in his old age, they had faded to a salmon pink.

"What will be his name, love?" Takki whispered, chuckling softly as tiny fingers tangled themselves into his silver beard.

Ret smiled tiredly, leaning back into the furs and blankets propped up behind her. "Tomba. After his father."

"Tomba." Takki repeated, lifting the newly named baby into the air. "You will do great things, maybe greater than your namesake. I can feel it."

"Ret, get out of here! Take Tomba and go!" Takki bared his teeth at the repulsive creature in front of him, the intense fear for his family refusing to show on his fearsome face.

"But father! What about you!" Ret's grip on her now one year old son tightened as Takki narrowly avoided a fatal blow to his head, instead countering with a powerful swing of his spear. Every fiber of her being urged her to flee, to ensure the survival of her offspring. But her father…!

A pained cry escaped from the old man's lips as the enemy's pronged – and much more technologically advanced – spear fired deadly bolts of electricity throughout his body. Still, he managed to grit through his clenched teeth, "Don't worry about me! Ret, you have to get Tomba to safety! DO IT, NOW!"

Ret's eyes widened in fear as her father seemed to suddenly turn on her, growling fiercely and baring his teeth. She was immediately reminded of why he was so respected as a powerful warrior by their kind. Casting one last tearful glance at her father, the woman bit her lip and began running towards the back entrance. Tears leaked from her eyes as Tomba began to cry, as if sensing he would never see his grandfather again.

Despite the searing pain that threatened to break his heart, Takki smiled to himself. His family – his beloved grandson, who had yet to see the world – would be safe. All he had to do was buy a little more time to ensure their escape.

Focusing his attention on the enemy before him once more, Takki laughed aloud and brandished his broken spear menacingly. "Come on! Think you can get me? You don't-"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly resounded throughout his cave home, and the old man felt a chill run down his back. No…no it couldn't be…!

Whipping around, Takki ignored the pounding feet chasing him as he sprinted through the familiar hallways of his now ransacked home. His heart pounded in fear and anticipation, and he prayed with all his might that the worst had not happened.

"No…" The broken whisper drifted past his lips as he skidded to a stop to stare in horror at the lifeless body of his daughter, and the laughing pig above her. No, it couldn't be…

Something inside him broke. And it was more than his heart – it felt like his mind just shattered, and before he knew it, Takki had thrown himself at that disgusting pink slime, roaring his pain and fury. Tears and blood flew as he threw aside his spear and used his bare fists to relentlessly pound into the startled creature, over and over and over again –

A sudden wail cut through his blood crazed mind and Takki's gaze whipped upwards to land on another pig, just about to escape through the back entrance. In those chubby pink arms was even brighter pink hair…and the flushed tan skin of his grandson.

His mind seemed to blank after that. All he knew was that he had to get Tomba back, no matter what the cost. The rest was merely a blur of memories, a blur of horrified squeals and oinks, blood flying, electricity zapping, bodies falling. It seemed like an eternity before Takki felt his senses come back to him, and he found himself standing amongst a mess of motionless pigs, with a squirming babe in his trembling arms. For a few seconds, he was unable to move, as he breathed slowly in a shaky attempt to calm his bloodlust.

Finally, when he felt his trembling stop and Tomba had fallen asleep to his steady breathing, Takki knelt slowly over the body of his daughter. "Ret." He murmured mournfully, bending over so far to rest his forehead on her cold face. The old man allowed the tears to fall then, determinedly keeping his eyes open to watch them drip over his daughter's own closed eyes, as was the mourning tradition of his people. "Ret…I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." The mantra was repeated over and over, a futile attempt to ease his loss.

Finally, Takki could take it no longer, and his eyes shut as the pain in his heart seemed to become unbearable. When he thought he would succumb to his growing despair, a soft coo reminded him that all was not lost. Opening his dripping eyes once more, the old man gazed into Tomba's dark, trusting eyes…and silently vowed that he would always protect this boy, possibly the last of his kind to be born, with his life.

10 years later…

"Tomba! Tomba, get down here, right now!" Takki called out in exasperation, craning his neck to watch his restless grandson climb the pumpkin stalk with ease and perch on the pig nose-marked top. "It's time to eat, now get down here unless you want another spanking!"

"But Grandpaa!" Tomba whined, still reluctant to leave his perch despite the threat to his rump.

"No buts! Down, NOW!"

Letting out a loud groan of disappointment, the pink-haired 10-year-old began climbing back down. As a result, he did not see the fond smile on his grandfather's face.

As Takki watched Tomba slowly climb down (the little scamp was rebelliously taking his sweet time about it too), the old man marveled at how far his grandson had come. At only age 5, Tomba had already started showing signs of his heritage, demonstrating his natural agility by climbing whatever was in sight. Just to humor the boy, Takki had provided a child's weapon in the form of a slingshot. And was amazed at the accuracy Tomba demonstrated when he got bored and started shooting down fruits and berries.

Takki had, of course, then felt the need to properly instruct the youngling in combat, especially after he had shot a stone at a Kokka bird and nearly gotten carried off to be fed to the vicious bird's chicks. Taking the slingshot away, Takki had instead provided a crude but effective imitation of his own weapon – the blackjack – in the form of a long rope with a stone tied to the end. Tomba had been thrilled, which showed in his enthusiasm during his combat lessons.

Now, 5 years later, the boy was showing such promise already – practically nothing was out of his reach if he could climb to it, and his skills with the stone blackjack had long since been replaced with bigger and bigger stones, to the point that Takki was considering giving his own weapon to the boy. Tomba had also started to display a rather odd but possibly useful habit…he tended to bite his opponent whenever he lost his weapon during practice fights. Takki had the teeth marks to prove it.

The only thing Takki was worried about now was Tomba's social skills…as the old man had feared, there seemed to be nothing left of his people. The pigs had razed the homes of all his kind, and while he was sure there were at least a few survivors like him and Tomba, they were too scarce and had not been encountered yet. But the boy needed more than an old man to provide adequate companionship, no matter how much his grandson insisted he needed no one else.

"Grandpa? Grandpa, are you okay?"

Takki shook his head, realizing he had been reminiscing again. He'd been doing that a lot lately…probably from getting too old. "Come on boy, let's eat before the food gets cold."

Upon reaching their campfire, Tomba cheered and rushed over, grabbing a leg and eagerly tearing into it. His grandfather approached in a more calm manner, taking his own portion much more slowly.

By the time they had sated their appetites (dessert had been a few berries Tomba had oh so helpfully knocked down with his own weapon), it had started to get dark. Shivering slightly, Tomba scooted closer to the fire to warm his chilled hands.

Watching the action, Takki patted the spot beside him. "Come on, boy, come sit by me."

Tomba scrunched up his young face in childish disgust, whining, "Grandpaaaa, I'm not a baby anymore!" Still, he scuttled over and eagerly snuggled into the larger, warmer body of his only relative and allowed a contented smile to cross his face.

Takki also smiled, the feel of his grandson's breathing body against him rather comforting. It was one of the few things that allowed him to calm his turbulent thoughts and fall asleep at night. Thankfully, Tomba hadn't grown too much that he protested falling asleep in the arms of his grandfather.

Takki winced as he felt sharp teeth nibble into his forearm – of course, Tomba was also the reason he may not be able to fall asleep some nights. Even in his dreams, the boy seemed to enjoy fighting and would thus gnaw whatever was in reach as he slept. Thankfully, it was never as hard as when he was awake.

An odd grating noise suddenly jerked Takki out of his peaceful sleep, and his senses instinctively went on the alert even in the throes of waking up. Careful not to wake his grandson, the old man crept to the large boulder their campfire had been behind and peered around it, where the noise had been coming from. If they were pigs again, so help him, they wouldn't live to see another morn…

A relieved sigh escaped Takki's lips and his body relaxed. It was merely a traveler on the road – albeit, a rarely used road – who seemed to be having a little trouble with his cart. Deciding Tomba would probably want to sleep some more, Takki walked out from his hiding place to approach the stranger. "Hello there! Do you need some help?"

The farmer – for that was what he looked to be, considering the masses of fruits and vegetables piled up in his cart – offered a grateful smile from under his long brimmed hat. "Oh thank you, thank you kind sir! It seems one of the wheels is jammed, and I am in such a hurry too!"

Takki nodded. Aside from his reputation as a fierce warrior back in the day, he was also known to be pretty decent with his hands. "Name's Takki. Got any tools?"

The farmer handed him a rusty looking wrench, with the apology that it was all he had. While Takki worked to detach the wheel, he listened to the other man's story. "My name's Drin, and I'm on my way to a dwarf village, actually…they've been having a bit of trouble with their food supply. Some pigs were passing by, and they took all their food – not to mention, their in the middle of a small famine! A messenger just came to my family yesterday, with what little payment they could offer…of course I had to accept!"

Takki nodded sympathetically as the man began to go off on a rant about the pigs. He admired this stranger, to go through so much trouble for so little payment, if only to help out an entire village in need. All the more reason to get this wheel going.

"Grandpa?" A sleepy voice interrupted the two, and Takki turned to see Tomba stumbling towards him while rubbing his eyes.

Takki felt a slight pang of anxiety for his grandson, unsure of how he would react to a stranger. Tomba had never encountered anyone friendly before, as the road passing by their home was rarely used anymore. Deciding the best way to proceed was to simply introduce the two, Takki gestured the boy to come closer. "Tomba, this is Farmer Drin…come say hi."

As he finally caught sight of the stranger, Tomba's eyes widened and all traces of sleepiness left his eyes. A wide smile split his face, allowing one small, sharp canine to poke out. "Hi! Wow, I've never seen another person before! I'm Tomba! You're a farmer? Do you grow berries too? My grandpa and I really like those, well I mean I guess we don't have too many choices 'cause there isn't anything else, but I mean at least they're really yummy! Ooh, what are those? Is that all food? I've never seen stuff like these before, what's this one…?" Tomba fingered a long, orange object, marveling at it's strange shape.

The farmer chuckled at the boy's obvious enthusiasm, although Takki noticed his smile never really reached his eyes. "That is a carrot…it's a vegetable."

"Car-rot…" Tomba repeated slowly. He laughed as he poked the tip of said vegetable. "It looks so funny! What about this one?" Small hands wrapped around an elongated, purple object.

"That's an eggplant. Um, look Mr. Takki, sir, I really am in a bit of a hurry…that village is depending on me. How long do you think you'll be?" Farmer Drin asked hurriedly, a suddenly uncomfortable look on his face. For some reason, he kept shooting wary glances towards the oblivious Tomba.

Shooting the other man a weird look, Takki answered, "I'm almost done…it seems like there was just a stone stuck in the joints. What's wrong, Drin?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong…"

As Takki finished reattaching the wheel, he realized the farmer wasn't staring at his grandson…he was staring at his grandson's hair. Sudden anger erupted within him as he realized why. "Do you have a problem with the color of my grandson's hair?" He asked menacingly.

The farmer looked up, startled. "Oh no, no! Young Tomba is a very sweet little boy, I meant no offense!"

"Then why do you keep looking at him as if he'll suddenly turn into a pig?" Takki growled. Sensing the growing tension, Tomba stopped his excited exploration of the farmer's cart and moved to stand unsurely by his grandfather's side.

"It's not…it's nothing like th-that…" Drin stuttered, getting flustered by the sudden animosity. "It's just…it's a bad omen, everyone knows that!"

"Please Farmer Drin, my grandson and I are only simple cave-people, so no, we don't know. Why don't you explain it to us."

Drin fidgeted, obviously tempted to just leave now that his wheel was fixed. But he couldn't just toss aside the person who had been the one to fix it in the first place. "Well, it's just because of the pigs, you know? When we live in dark times such as these, people get superstitious – we just need some answers to turn to. I guess you wouldn't know, since it seems like you and your grandson haven't been living around others for a while, but every time someone sees pink, not necessarily from a pig, something bad seems to happen. It's considered bad luck!" The farmer shuddered.

Takki was silent and surprisingly, so was Tomba. Warily watching the two as he mounted his donkey, Drin decided to say one last thing, "Look I'm sorry about it, but that's just the way things are right now. Thank you very much for fixing my cart." And with that, the man spurred his steed on and rumbled off down the road.

In the silence that followed, Tomba turned to his grandfather with an uncharacteristic serious air about him. "Grandpa…did mom die because of me?" He softly whispered. His grandfather had already told him the tale of his brave mother, who had given her life to preserve his. But this was the first time the young 10-year old considered it may not be that simple.

Takki knelt so that he was eye level with his grandson. "Don't you ever think something like that again, boy." He hissed vehemently, grabbing Tomba's small shoulders in a vice-like grip. "Your mother made her choice to protect you, because she loved you very much. She'd do it a thousand times over, even if it meant dying that many times again. Do you understand?"

Tomba didn't answer, only looked down at his feet. When his grandfather repeated his last words, he nodded quickly…but the doubt did not leave his mind.

As he lay in his grandfather's arms that night, Tomba looked up to gaze at the bright, starry sky. His grandfather had long since fallen asleep, but the young ten year old was still wide awake – and thinking things no ten year old should have in his young mind.

What Takki didn't know was that Tomba had encountered a stranger before…one of their own. It had been when he was five, and he'd been out with his slingshot, shooting down a couple berries for lunch. He'd wandered off a little far this time, but it couldn't be helped – all the good berries close by had already been shot down by him previously. His grandfather had been in one of his sad moods lately too, so he wanted to at least help a lot with the food.

Flashback

Aiming at a particularly ripe looking fruit, Tomba felt his concentration suddenly begin to slip as he sensed someone staring at him. Turning, the boy found himself staring into the intent gaze of a dark-skinned, shirtless man that looked…a lot like him. Stunned, the pink haired boy was rendered speechless as the stranger slowly approached him.

"So…you're the one, huh?" The man wheezed, coughing slightly. Tomba winced – it sounded very scratchy, and he imagined the man's throat must hurt quite a lot.

"You look like me!" Tomba exclaimed, suddenly finding his voice. "Are you…are you a human too? Who are you? "

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" The stranger gave a sad crooked smile. "What matters is who you are."

Confusion bloomed in his young mind. "M-me?"

"Yes, you. Pink hair, and you're probably about five years, am I right?"

"Yeah!" Tomba was amazed. Did the man have magic, to know so much about him? "How do you know?"

The man laughed, which immediately turned into another cough. Tomba stepped back in horror as he began to wheeze out drops of blood, staining the green vegetation around him. "How can I not know?" Tears began to drip from the man's red sunken eyes. "How can I not, when my family was literally torn apart and tortured by those evil pigs, looking for you….looking for the one whose hair color matched their own vile skin, the one prophesied to bring their kind down…how can I not know when it is because of you that my people…your people, will probably be extinct in a few years? How can I not know?" The man repeated over and over between coughs, falling to his knees. He started to laugh again, even as he fell backwards and did not get up again.

Frightened by the odd display, Tomba turned around and ran as fast as he could, wanting to get as far away from the crazy stranger as he could. Even when he was in the comforting safety of his confused grandfather's arms, he could still hear that ominous laugh, echoing in his ears.

Ignoring his grandfather's panicked questions, Tomba buried his face into the old man's bare stomach and began to cry.

End Flashback

Tomba closed his eyes at the memory – he had been too young then to understand a crazed man's ramblings. But now, thinking back on it, especially after Drin's reaction to him…he knew. Maybe his grandfather didn't, and he was lucky in that sense because he had no reason to believe the sudden persecution of the cave people five years ago was because of the birth of his own grandson…

And it would stay that way. Tomba opened his eyes again, this time a determined look in them. His only living relative had suffered enough pain, losing his only daughter mom...he didn't need the added burden of knowing that tragedy had occurred because of him. He'd never tell his grandfather what had been revealed to him five years ago, ever.

2 years later…

Takki sighed as he sadly smiled at the sight of Tomba diligently chopping wood for their fire. The boy had matured so much…too fast. Something had happened, and Tomba had suddenly – and dramatically – changed. He wasn't entire sure when it started, but if he thought really hard about it, it seemed like his grandson's somber change began around the time they'd met that Farmer with the broken cart on the road.

His beloved grandson was losing his childlike innocence, which should have still been there even at age 12. He had become more considerate too considerate with his chores, always trying to find a way to help out and make it easier on him. Takki was old, but he wasn't that old – it wasn't like carrying a few logs would break his back.

Also, during their daily training sessions, there was a certain determination that hadn't been there before. Gone was the enthusiasm, the joy, the excited glint in dark eyes. Instead, it was replaced by a hardened steel that said he meant business, that he was determined to improve not for the joy of it but because it was necessary. Even the pain from the boy's bite attacks lasted just a bit longer than before. Where had this sudden drive come from?

And he was so quiet now, so serious. Takki longed to hear that mindless, excited chatter his grandson had so constantly battered his ears with before. Instead, the most he heard from the boy were the war cries and screeches he still emitted when taking down a boar for their dinner. A few nights thought, Tomba would seem to let down this newly erected shield and snuggle up to him by the fire, like they'd always done before.

"Grandpa, I've finished." The serious voice interrupted his thoughts and Takki smiled in thanks to the boy.

"Thank you, Tomba. But let's put aside dinner for now, I want to talk to you." He patted the log he was currently sitting on.

Throwing his grandfather a questioning glance, Tomba gently deposited the logs where the fire was going to be and sat down next to the old man. He looked up at his only living relative, watching curiously as the man seemed to have trouble putting his words together.

Finally, Takki spoke, deciding the best approach was the direct one. "Tomba, has something been bothering you?"

Tomba looked down, not answering.

"I know that something's going on, whether you want to deny it or not. I'm grateful for all the help you're giving me lately, and it's very mature of you to be this selfless. But Tomba…you are only twelve years old. Still a boy, hear me? Now is when you should be enjoying life, grasping it to the fullest…not feeling burdened to cater to an old man's health all the time. Do you understand?"

Tomba shrugged. "But I like helping you."

Takki nodded, his calm face giving no hint of the frustration building within. He decided to take a different approach. "I can see that, but you are also hurting me by doing so."

Pink hair swayed as Tomba looked up, startled. "Wh-what?"

"You're making me so sad, boy, to see you like this." Takki felt bad for pulling the guilt trip on his grandson, but he didn't know what else to do. "I want to watch my twelve year old boy run around, yell, laugh, play…not a twelve year old acting like an eighteen year old, forgoing his own wants and needs to tend to someone else's. You certainly help my physical health, taking on all these duties, but Tomba…my heart is still sore. Won't you help my heart heal too?"

Those last words seemed to hit home as Tomba's serious eyes suddenly seemed to reveal the true twelve year old underneath. Tears came unbidden to those dark eyes and although the boy did not begin to bawl like a little child, he flung his arms around the old man and held on tight. Feeling the young boy breathe against his bare torso, Takki reciprocated the hug and felt a great tension rise. From both of them.

From then on, Takki was glad to see another, better change overcome his beloved grandson. In merely a few days, the boy had regained a bit of his carefree nature – although he still didn't chatter and talk as much, Takki discovered another side to the pink haired boy in the form of a fake spider made out of grass, sitting innocently on his meat.

It seemed like a miracle that Tomba had so quickly gone from this helpful, but somber stranger into the pranking little devil he now was. Takki would never have thought the boy was into devious little tricks like that, even from before his weird phase…although it was certainly a welcome, if not mildly irksome, change.

Sewing up Tomba's spare pants (that he had ripped yet again in his wild play), Takki smiled as he heard a screech of triumph. The twelve year old had found a new interest, seeming to want to practice how to use a boomerang – it wasn't exactly a traditional weapon for his people, but Tomba seemed to enjoy the challenge of having a weapon that didn't travel in a straight trajectory, requiring a more thought out aim.

About to call out to his grandson to fetch some berries, a strange noise made him stop. It sounded vaguely like thunder…but the sky was rather clear, so it couldn't be that. But what…?

A sudden thought occurred to him, and Takki jumped up from his seat, tossing aside the now unimportant pants. He ran as fast as he could in Tomba's direction, hoping the boy hadn't wandered off too far.

"Tomba!" Takki panted slightly as he reached the pink haired boy…he was getting too old, "Tomba, quick, we need to hide!"

"Hide? Why?"

"Just follow me!" Takki's harsh voice brooked no argument and Tomba immediately followed his grandfather as they headed towards the woody area near their cave. They stopped in front of a large tree, and Takki hurriedly urged his grandson to climb.

The twelve year old obeyed, easily scaling the tall tree in seconds. Takki followed behind at a much slower pace, panting harshly as he forced his old body to engage in an activity he hadn't done in years.

The rumbling sound came closer and closer…and Takki knew he had run out of time. If he stayed and attempted to climb the rest of the way, they might see him and possibly deduce there was someone else hidden amongst the leaves of that same tree. There was only one thing to do. Looking up, Takki's gaze met the fearful eyes of his grandson's. "Tomba. Whatever happens...stay where you are. Do you hear me, boy? Don't come down, no matter what!"

Tomba nodded hesitantly, but that wasn't enough for Takki. "Promise me!" He hissed in an urgent whisper.

"I…I promise! Grandpa, what-"

Ignoring his grandson's tearful gaze, Takki released his hold on the tree and began running. He had barely gone more than a few steps however, when the source of the rumbling noise became visible – and dozens of pigs pointed their prongs in his direction.

Takki knew they would catch up to him. There was no point in running away from the evil creatures, he was too old to outrun them. But he needed to keep them as far away from Tomba's tree.

Tomba watched in horror as his grandfather began running…towards the enemy. He clenched his fists, so tempted to climb down, as he watched the two forces clash – the entire legion of pigs stopped their march in his direction to confront and surround his grandfather.

Takki glared defiantly in the squinty eyes of what looked to be the lead pig. "What do you want?"

The pig oinked a few times before speaking in plain English, indicating he probably was the lead pig. "A pink headed one. Where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I live alone." Takki answered calmly, even as multiple prongs were activated, sparks of lightning coming alive.

The entire group squealed and oinked in anger, obviously displeased with his answer. "Lies. We hear from a farmer, of the Prophesy residing here. Where is he?"

Confused at the odd reference to his grandson, Takki stood firm to his initial answer. "Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Insolent fool!"

He was too slow to avoid the white fist aimed at his face, and Takki felt his cheek painfully scrape against his teeth. Spitting out a loosened, tooth, the old man returned his defiant gaze to the leader, refusing to back down.

'I have to help him…I have to!' Those panicked thoughts nearly spurred Tomba on to descend from his hiding place and rush to his grandfather's aid. But the old man's urgent words still stuck in his mind, and with agonizing willpower, the twelve year old could only watch as his beloved grandfather was tortured and beaten by those cruel demons. He could see the brave attempts his grandfather made, even pulling out his own blackjack and managing to take down a few of the enemy…but there was just too many.

Tomba felt the tears drip down his face, but he refused to close his eyes as he instead intently focused his gaze on that mass of evil. Hatred grew in his heart, for each blow that landed on his grandfather's body…for each zap of electricity, for each scornful kick, for each merciless punch – it became harder and harder not to just go down there, and rip their cowardly heads off of their lazy, fat bodies.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pigs finally stopped. Finished in their cruel fun, they slowly trickled away, back towards the road where they came from, to continue their march of terrorizing and torture. Tomba forced himself to wait until they were completely out of sight, which felt like yet another eternity, before climbing down the tree and running to the body that lay motionless on the ground.

"Grandpa!" The anguished cry escaped Tomba's lips as he fell to his knees and attempted to lift his grandfather's head. He prayed and prayed, willing those closed, bruised eyes to open, to just open and look at him and tell him that everything would be okay that everything would go back to the way things were before –

A soft cough interrupted Tomba's near descent into panic, and the twelve year old felt the hope in his chest bloom so fast, he felt like he would explode with joy. "Grandpa…grandpa, you're alive…" Tears fell from dark eyes once more, and the pink haired boy buried his face into the old man's bloody neck.

"Tom…ba…" The voice was so weak, Tomba could barely hear it as he lifted his head.

"I'm here, Grandpa." He hiccupped.

Slowly, painfully, Takki brought his arm up to his waist, fumbling to slip his fingers into the hand sewn pocket of his pants. Carefully, he drew out what was inside and held it out towards his grandson.

"Grandpa…your bracelet. Why…" Tomba stared pleadingly into his grandfather's pained eyes. "Why are you giving it to me now?"

"Take it, Tomba." Despite his pain, Takki allowed a small smile to cross his bloody face. "Through this…please, remember…don't let hate cloud your heart. Don't let those pigs take over your life, to ruin your purity…you are so special, Tomba, too special to be defeated by the likes of them. Please, take it, and remember your mother and me."

"No…no, nonono Grandpa, NO!" Tomba began to scream, shaking his head violently. He immediately stopped moving, however, as a gentle hand touched his cheek, the thumb moving slowly in a loving caress.

"You'll do great things… great things. I know it." Takki struggled to whisper, hearing his own voice begin to fade. He gazed up into the tearful eyes of his beloved grandson, already seeing a bright future reflected through them. "I…love you." With a sigh, the old man let his head sink back, the smile still on his face even as the last bit of life left his body and soul. Ret…I'm coming.

"Grandpa, grandpa! Grandpa Takki, please don't leave me, please…no, please please come back…no…" Crying bitterly, Tomba tightly clenched the gold bracelet in his hands. As if moved by instinct, he placed his forehead against his grandfather's head and watched as his tears rolled across the old man's closed eyes…and smiling face.

The twelve year old did not move from that position until the sun began to set, signaling the end of yet another day…and so much more.

-fin-

A/N: Yes I know, the fic didn't exactly answer the question presented in the summary…but it's at this point the game would start and it's up to the reader's interpretation to decide what would run through Tomba's mind each time he defeats a pig.

Thanks for reading, especially since I have little hopes many Tomba/Tombi fans will ever find this fic of mine…there are not enough fanfics for this great, but unfortunately, underappreciated, game. Please please pleeeease leave a review and tell me what you think - the fandom for this game is so tiny, I would just absolutely TREASURE any feedback I can get on it! (except flames...)