(a/n: Considering I am utterly fail at any sort of photoshopping, the above picture should have a nice set of wings and a claymore in his hands but that just didn't happen.  >.>)

                “Grandpa Teuk,” the little boy of about six years of age, sitting on his lap looked up and tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

                Contentedly sitting in front of the hearth in his living room surrounded by a handful of his oldest friends, Leeteuk smiled down at his grandson.  “Yes Jinsang?”

                Now that his parents weren’t around to keep him from asking, since they always quieted him when he tried, Jinsang was very excited to finally ask, albeit in a timid voice, “What happened to your wings, grandpa?”  Awkwardly, he craned around to look at the asymmetrical nubs that were all that remained of his once magnificent wings.  He had seen pictures of what they used to look like and he’d always wondered how he’d lost them.

                Long since past the point of being bothered by the familiar question, Leeteuk hummed thoughtfully and turned his gaze to meet the eyes of those sitting nearby.  Heechul, Kangin and Eunhyuk had been his friends for as long as he could remember and while they all bore marks from that encounter, Leeteuk’s was the most obvious in their winged society.  Kangin, with dark brown wings, had heavy scarring on the right side of his face, the eye itself healed shut while the white winged Eunhyuk and tan winged Heechul both bore burns and slashes along their chest and torso; the latter’s right hand had been damaged so badly that he had limited use of it only.  He wore a glove at all times to cover the imperfect flesh.

                “Your grandfather was being foolish,” Heechul quipped, sticking his tongue at his friend, head shaking in fond remembrance.

                Leeteuk laughed and caressed the tiny mottled wings on Jinsang’s back, remembering the feel of feathers.  “Now that is a tale to tell.”

                “A heroic one too,” Eunhyuk nodded, offering an encouraging smile.  Among their company, Leeteuk let that side of him show that wasn’t as strong as he presented to the rest; the hurt that not being able to fly caused him and he felt it keenly in turn.  They were like brothers in truth and when one faltered, the other was there to lift him up; such was the way it had always been.

                In his gruff voice, Kangin barked a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Teukkie’s nothing if not dependable.  Back in the day, gramps could fight too,” he admitted proudly, looking at the sword that was mounted above the mantle.

                An ornate shining claymore glimmered in the firelight, sparking iridescent colors where they up along the length of the blade.  The plain hilt didn’t seem quite appropriate for the majesty of the blade but they knew better.  In the hands of its rightful wielder, no one could remove it from his grasp.

                “Invictus Bane-Slayer,” Heechul murmured, walking down older memories.  They’d all had weapons then too, not that it had done them any good.

                “She has earned her rest,” Leeteuk nodded sagely, looking down at his grandson.  “I only hope that she never has need to be called upon again.”

                Jinsang’s eyes were huge in his face when he looked around the circle of aging Alatucians.  They were the stuff of bedtime stories for him and his cousins; the fifteen heads of the main houses.  Incredibly powerful warriors, all of them, they had settled this region and reclaimed it from the foul creatures that had taken it over, led by the fel monster Crimson Bane.  Such was its power that it had threatened to overtake the island upon which they lived; a dire threat to the rest of the world from there.

                “Listen well Jinsang and I will tell you the story of that day.  Just don’t tell your parents,” he winked conspiratorially, earning amused chuckles from the other three.

                “Promise!” Jinsang grinned, holding up his pinky to seal his vow.

                His parents were having a night out to themselves and Leeteuk had volunteered to watch his grandson.  He doubted they knew that he had a few of his friends over, but he much preferred the company.  His wife had been dead for several years now and he often felt lonely without her soothing presence, though friends and family helped to alleviate such aching wounds.  “Okay.  Now where shall I begin?” he mused, thoughtfully scratching his chin.

                “The beginning is a good place to start,” Heechul snorted, eyes twinkling.

                “Well then.  Should I tell of your capture then?” Leeteuk teased lightly, watching as Heechul glared at him

                “Kangin was first!” he defended himself, pointing at the largest among their group.

                The one-eyed man laughed again, but smacked Heechul’s finger away, “Only because I sought him out.”

                They could have gone on for quite some time, but Eunhyuk’s soft voice flowed around them while he knelt in front of Leeteuk and Jinsang.  “Long before you were born, when the Fifteen Houses had just been founded by our fathers, our island was beset by a scourge that threatened to wipe us from existence.  The Crimson Bane, summoned from a vile realm by those who didn’t know what they had called, created hordes of soldiers from the creatures it warped to suit its purpose.  Everything, from the smallest rodents to the largest mammals became its pawns, mere puppets to be thrown against the world.  In its way, it saw our kind and all that we protected.”

                Leeteuk gave Eunhyuk a grateful smile and picked up where he paused.  “Because of what we are, the descendants of angels, it could not warp us and so became determined to destroy us and all that we held under our protection.”

                “For years, we fought the armies that it amassed to throw against us, fighting at the threshold of our doorstep time and again,” Kangin picked up the narrative.  “Each foray was pushed back, more creatures set free from its corrupted hold and we earned every patch of ground that we fought to wrest from its control.  Together, we were unstoppable.”  He sighed, remembering the glorious days of combat and victory.

                “We were also foolish,” Heechul added.  “Because of our successes, we thought we could not fail, that Crimson would give up its futile endeavor.  We were quite wrong.”  The flawless face wore a sad expression and he looked at Jinsang earnestly.  “Crimson Bane was no fool for all that it was evil.  It watched and learned and plotted in the safety of its domain.”

                Leeteuk placed a hand on Jinsang’s shoulder and drew his attention up.  “You see, Crimson began to see that while we were successful, it was due in large part to the sons of the houses.  Bestowed with blessed weapons, they gave courage and power to those who followed them.  With our followers, we were nigh on invincible.”

                “But it also saw that when we weren’t there, our people faltered; their strength diminished.  So it plotted to take us all,” Eunhyuk explained, miming his words animatedly and making Jinsang gasp when he closed his hand in front of his face.

                “Kangin was the first to be taken but only because I was fool enough to be caught alone,” Leeteuk admitted, nodding at both Heechul for the title of ‘fool’ and in apology to Kangin.  “I was wounded by Crimson Bane itself when I thought myself untouchable.  If ever you must patrol, always have another by your side,” he shook his finger at his grandson, hoping to engrain that lesson if nothing else.  “Never go alone.”

                “Teukkie escaped capture but he was trapped behind enemy lines, wounded and unable to get home,” Kangin gestured at the eldest among them.  “If he hadn’t been so careless, I wouldn’t have had to go try and save his ,” he nodded emphatically at Jinsang, smiling when he nodded in agreement.

                “Hey!  Whose side are you on?” Leeteuk laughed, nudging the little boy.  Amusingly, Jinsang leaned closer to his grandfather and smiled up at him innocently.

                “Hah!  He’s a charmer, that one,” Heechul slapped his knee with his good hand and clapped slowly.

                It was Eunhyuk’s turn to bring them back to the story and he gestured at Kangin again, “So our mightiest warrior left to rescue our dear friend and instead found himself captured.  It was a grand battle, from what I’ve heard,” he winked at Kangin who feinted a punch at him, and then focused on the grandson again.  “One chink in our armor was all it took to begin unraveling what we had thought was perfect.  Leeteuk made it back but while he recovered in the heart of our territory, Crimson Bane continued its plotting.  One by one, it ensnared us until it had all but one of the Fifteen sons.”

                “But why didn’t you just escape?” Jinsang asked breathlessly, looking between the men in open adoration.

                “We might have had the chance, had Crimson Bane not been as big as it was.  It was as tall as a mountain,” Heechul started, raising his hands up high above his head.

                “Not really,” Eunhyuk shook his head, flinching away from Heechul who smacked him lightly on the arm.

                “Oh fine,” he relented when Leeteuk glared at him.  “It was definitely as tall as Imenfal and it wore us in our cages around its waist like so many decorations on its belt.”  Heechul’s lip curled at the treatment and he crossed his arms in dissatisfaction, looking away to further show his displeasure.  It was still an exaggeration but they didn’t call him on it this time.

                If it was possible for Jinsang’s eyes to get any bigger, they did at the mention of Crimson Bane’s size since Imenfal was the tallest tree in the island.  He’d been to the top only once when his parents had flown him up and it was startlingly high up.  “What happened next, grandpa?” he asked breathlessly, staring up at the fifteenth son.

                “I did what any of them would have done for me in turn,” he murmured, meeting the gazes of the three evenly.  “With Invictus in hand, I went to meet Crimson Bane.”  Leeteuk’s eyes gained a far awake look while he vividly recalled that day.

                Black wings beat the air powerfully, feathers fluttering at the swift passing of the wind through them.  The skies were empty of foes this day and with Invictus strapped to his back, Leeteuk made good time, tearing towards Crimson Bane’s stronghold in the heart of the enemies’ territory.  The creature had no such structure to call its throne but claimed the heart of the dormant volcano as its domain and so he went to meet it, climbing higher, leaving the masses of monsters behind on the lower levels of the island, hoping that he could succeed and not leave what was left of their forces to fend for themselves.

                Crimson Bane was waiting for him when he got there, seated in a makeshift throne of piled rocks; a pale imitation of royalty.  Leeteuk floated down on warm thermals that rose from the quiet rock under which slept rivers of molten lava, not at all as assured as he felt.  The wounds he’d suffered weeks ago at its hands hadn’t fully healed but Invictus sang in his grip, eager for battle.

                Like a horrid suit of armor, Crimson had attached the cruel cages of his friends and companions on its person layered in two rows of three and four on its chest and back.  A fifteenth cage was resting beside the ‘throne’ and Leeteuk ignored it entirely.  The bright red creature was as tall as a giant standing at least fifty feet tall, but far more menacing with spindly arms and legs ending in claws and talons black as night.  Its face was split by a massive maw that jutted out into an elongated snout covered by short red fur that only served to throw the white eyes in stark contrast.

               “Release them Crimson!” he cried over the distance that separated them, a seemingly insignificant speck on the floor in comparison to the monstrosity he faced.  “Release them and I shall make your death swift.”

                Slowly, Crimson stood up from its resting place, cages jostling loudly, provoking complaints from the occupants within.  It reached down to retrieve a piece of the throne and calmly tossed it at the Alatucian, “Catch.”

                Immediately, Leeteuk stifled his words and launched himself into the air, flapping swiftly over the shattering stone that rolled through the space he had just occupied.  He had but a moment to spare before the tired warning cries of his companions alerted him to another projectile soaring his way.  As before, he dodged, rolling in the air to let it pass by and then folded his wings, dropping towards the ground to gain momentum.  With a loud crack, his wings snapped open just above the surface and he hurtled towards Crimson who continued to grin at him manically.

                “What do you hope to accomplish, puny man.  Would you poke me with your toy?” it laughed, reaching down to swipe at him in the air, long arm appearing to move in slow motion.

                “Oh shut up,” Leeteuk muttered, folding his wings and barrel rolling out of reach, opening them again and angling upwards parallel to the leg and towards the first row of cages just inside Crimson’s reach.  He had no delusions about being able to do much against it just now, but his main concern was his friends.  Crimson Bane had not started out this large and Leeteuk had a feeling he was drawing strength from them somehow.

                With an ear splitting shriek, Invictus rang against the first cage, making the structure vibrate incessantly until, in a surprising effect, the entire stone like thing shattered into fragments, releasing a weakened Kangin.  Crimson Bane roared in protest, swatting at the two reflexively.  With as much speed as he could muster, Leeteuk reversed his direction and struggled to reach Kangin, grabbing hold of the back of his shirt and dragging him after, providing a steadying hand that also allowed them both to escape the attack.

                Crimson’s hand passed close enough that they could feel the drag of wind pulling at them and Leeteuk felt the strain in his wings when he struggled to keep them both upright.  “Go!” he urged, shoving Kangin forward when he was sure that the other Alatucian had managed to gain control of his wings enough to glide to safety.

                A heavy footstep crashed behind them and Leeteuk whirled around to find Crimson following close on his heels.  “You’ll pay for that,” it growled, squatting down and reaching for him with both hands.

                Awkwardly, Leeteuk flailed his arms and wings, Invictus virtually humming in his hands in disapproval and challenge as he struggled to keep from getting caught.  For just a second, he saw the faces of those six remaining on its chest and he steeled himself for his next move.  “Come on…come on,” he murmured quietly, shifting the grip of his sword in his hand and flapping steadily to maintain his position while he waited.  At the last second, he flapped upwards, grimacing at the strain in his wing joints which he promptly ignored when the hands clapped together mere feet beneath him, the resultant burst of air being displaced shoving him upwards haphazardly.

                Again, Invictus sang true against the cages of Yesung and Henry in quick succession, one from each row, before she trailed along the flesh of Crimson Bane tauntingly, etching thin lines into its chest and neck.  “Up here!” Leeteuk yelled in challenge, trying desperately to catch its attention so that it would ignore the two Alatucians he’d just freed.

                In savage protest, Crimson Bane roared again, standing up so quickly Leeteuk was unable to get out of the way in time.  A shoulder hit him, jarring him sharply, but he rolled off with the passing wind and angled himself to bank inwards back towards the torso, aiming for the back.  On his downward pass, Invictus shattered another two, releasing Sungmin and Kibum.  He watched them fall, terrified that it would go after them or that they wouldn’t be able to recover.  For the few seconds he spared them, he saw the two open their wings reluctantly, buffeted by the winds from Crimson’s shifting, but otherwise unharmed.

                “How dare you!  Hold still thrice cursed creature,” Crimson shrieked, sounding more like a petulant child than it had before.

                To Leeteuk’s eyes, it already looked slightly smaller, the vest of remaining cages hanging looser upon its torso.  “It’s working,” he told himself, flapping in circles around the creature who swiped at him in a frenzied motion.  He spared himself a few seconds to see the five he’d freed and it was almost his undoing.

                Invictus shrieked a warning before one of the hands nearly twice Leeteuk’s size collided with him.  The sword rang loudly, vibrating in his grip, the feeling angry and hot as she sank into the flesh of its palm.  She bit deep and even when Crimson tried to shake them free, howling all the while, she refused to let go and because Leeteuk was holding it, his grip was unbreakable.  That wasn’t to say the rest of his body was though and he was forced to pry her free at last, lest he be shaken apart.

                “No, no, no!” Crimson yowled, stomping in place and clutching its wounded hand protectively.

                Shaken and feeling considerably drained already, Leeteuk took several deep breaths, flapping as steadily as possible in place.  “Not yet, Invictus,” he murmured softly, readjusting his grip on the sword hilt.  “We must free the others.”  Almost as if she agreed with him, Invictus seemed to hum in response, growing that much brighter.  Even as his reserves flagged, she grew stronger.

                “No fair!  Flying nuisance!”  Crimson swiped at him again but Leeteuk took refuge in the air, flapping tiredly out of reach above its head.  “Fine!” it snarled again, shaking its fist at him before snorting and focusing on the freed Alatucians again.  “Here my pretties,” it crooned savagely, hopping after the five that struggled to hobble away.  Unarmed and weakened by their prolonged captivity, none were in any condition to flee swiftly.

                “Crimson!” Leeteuk challenged, diving out of the air with wings folded flat against his back as he struck another two cages on the way down, slicing clean through the cells which split apart easily, releasing Shindong and Zhou Mi.  The pair clung to each other in an effort to stabilize themselves, bracing against the sudden impact of its thigh when Crimson turned to follow its attacker when Leeteuk dragged Invictus along the creature’s leg.

                Ineffectively, it swat after him, creating a crater in the ground behind him from where he’d banked just above the floor, feeling the heat of the rock caress him, the thermals pushing him back up into the air.  A spray of debris peppered his body when Crimson raked claws through the ground, tossing rocks after his retreating form.  Battered, Leeteuk faltered in the air, back winging heavily to turn himself around just in time to meet another projectile.  As before, Invictus howled in protest when he raised the sword before him, a hasty shield.  The force tossed him back, unable to stop the momentum and he felt his arms jar terribly, the feeling akin to bones breaking, but they held and the boulder shattered.  The resultant force shot Leeteuk back further, out of control in a downward spiral, sending him crashing into the ground, wings complaining bitterly at the jumbled roll he was subjected to.

                Crimson roared in victory and pelted after the downed flyer.  “Gotcha!” it snarled, reaching down to pick up the Alatucian by his wing with two clawed fingers.

                “Agh!” Leeteuk cried, abused muscles screaming in his shoulders.  Ineffectively, he flapped his free wing, stopping when Crimson shook him roughly, tearing muscles further.

                “Not so tough anymore are you,” it poked, grabbing the other wing and pulling teasingly, stretching the wings to their limit…and beyond.  “Oops,” it laughed unapologetically when the right wing wrenched out of place with a sickening pop.

                With Leeteuk’s scream of agony, Invictus pulsed to life, iridescent colors dancing along the blade.  She practically vibrated in his hand, pointing straight at the creature’s chest.  It took nearly all his will, but he reached back with his sword, grimacing with his eyes shut tight when he severed the ruined wing in a spray of fine red mist and then swung his arm to fling the sword, and him along with it, at Crimson’s chest.  Claws ripped through his other wing when the sword’s power tore them free and lodged into the bone of Crimson.

                It tried to swat its attacker against its chest but only succeeded in jostling the sword, Leeteuk’s injured body protected by the cages that kept him from being squashed.  “You’re cheating!” Crimson howled hopping and flailing in place, briefly thwarted and taking a second to review what was going on.

                In that moment, Leeteuk yanked Invictus free and let himself drop, shattering the four remaining cages on its front on his way down.  Heechul, Hangeng, Eunhyuk and Ryeowook fell with him, flapping cramped wings erratically as they struggled to catch him, wincing away from Crimson’s roar when it grabbed its head and screamed.  Before their eyes, the creature shrank in size again, still towering above them but now no more than four times their height and the three remaining cages had become more of a nuisance.

                Still tumbling, the four were able to right themselves and help guide Leeteuk down to the ground, landing in a jumbled mess of limbs and wings when they got there.  Stifling a cry of pain, Leeteuk extricated himself from the pile, using Invictus as a temporary crutch.  The most recently freed four got to their feet shakily and were soon joined by the seven who were already free, more ambulatory and who were able to fly with better control again.

                “Stop it, Teuk!” Kangin yelled when he landed in front of his wounded friend, placing a restraining hand on the less injured shoulder.

                “I’ve got to free the others,” he breathed through clenched teeth, meeting Kangin’s face squarely and refusing to flinch from the injury he had suffered.  Blood caked the entirety of the right side of his face, his eye swollen shut and misshapen.

                “Watch out!” a collective cry yelled while Alatucians threw themselves to the side and away from the jumble of rocks that bounced towards them.

                Leeteuk yanked Kangin behind him painfully and fell to his knees with Invictus held in front in warding.  Her luminescence was truly brilliant when he stabbed the point into the ground.  He could not avoid the danger but she could deflect it…he hoped.  The boulder from the last of Crimson’s throne collided with Invictus, pressing against the blade and bending her slightly so that her hum became more of a frenzied shriek.  Just when he feared she might break, an enormous crack formed in the boulder itself and in the next instant, the entire thing exploded.  As before, the explosion tossed Leeteuk back, Invictus still in hand and he felt shrapnel tear through his remaining wing, ripping it to shreds.

                Those behind him were peppered with shrapnel in turn but were considerably less harmed while the area immediately in front of them had been decimated by the explosion.  The other projectiles had been destroyed or deflected in turn and Crimson fumed at them as it was foiled again.  Utterly enraged, it roared, tearing at the remnants of its harness and ripping the last three cages off in its frenzy, dropping them to the ground like so much garbage.  Even as it pelted at them, it shrank again, now only three times their size.

                “Help me,” Leeteuk growled fiercely, reaching for the nearest people at hand.  “She knows what she wants,” he hissed when Heechul, holding one arm to his chest and bleeding from wounds on his torso, struggled to assist him.

                Determinedly, Eunhyuk shuffled close and braced his other side.  “We’re with you,” he hissed through clenched teeth, blood soaking through his shirt.

                His hand trembled as he raised the glowing sword at the oncoming Crimson Bane.  “One more go, Invictus,” he breathed, pulling his arm back and tossing the sword at the charging creature.  It was a bad throw all things considered with hardly enough power to go more than a few feet at best, but Invictus drew strength and became empowered in a very unique way.  The strength of the blessed blade was directly inversely proportional to Leeteuk’s meaning that with him as pathetically wounded as he was, barely able to stand on his own, she was a fount of power.

                Invictus spun, end over end, fierce and determined, blazing as brightly as the sun.  Too late did Crimson see its peril as it ran headlong into the thrown blade.  The weapon sank into the hilt into its head and it stopped, body frozen and mouth open in a silent scream to the skies.  Abruptly, Crimson Bane began to unravel from its head down, turning swiftly to dust in the wind so that Invictus fell to the ground.  With the last remnants of her power, a shockwave burst from the blade, passing harmlessly over the Alatucians and shattering the four remaining cages, releasing Kyuhyun, Siwon and Donghae at last.

                “And then Teukkie fainted,” Kangin chortled, slapping his knee in amusement.

                Leeteuk just shook his head and looked down at Jinsang.  “I earned that rest,” he told his grandson earnestly.  “As you can tell though, Invictus did most of the work,” he admitted, staring at the shimmering blade above the mantel.  He had not wielded her again since that day but he could still feel her pull, wanting to be used once more.

                Eunhyuk reached out a hand to pat Leeteuk on the back and he shook his head.  “She might have had the power, but you were the one with the strength to wield her.  I could not have done what you did that day,” he stated earnestly, looking at the others and daring them to say they could otherwise.

                “I could have,” Kangin laughed, mostly in jest.

                Heechul smacked him for it anyway.  “Right…  I still maintain you were the first to be captured.  At least Teuk got away,” he defended vehemently.

                “Because I made myself a decoy!” Kangin retorted, leaning forward.

                “So getting captured was part of your plan?” asked archly.

                “Yes!” he snapped, followed immediately by, “No…  Oh shut up!” Kangin grumbled at Heechul’s smirking face.

                Wide-eyed, Jinsang stared at Heechul and Kangin, blinking twice exaggeratedly.  At last he turned in Leeteuk’s lap and looked up at the aged man.  “Grandpa?”

                “Hmm?” Leeteuk hummed, shaking his head and meeting his grandson’s gaze.

                “Do you miss your wings?” he asked earnestly.  Grandpa Teuk always looked so cheerful whenever he saw him but even he, a mere child, could see the longing in his eyes from that memory.

                “Of course I do, dear one,” he smiled sadly, patting the boy’s soft head of brown hair.  “But it was worth it,” he admitted, smiling at the friends who would have died had he not succeeded and the grandson who would have never come to be.

                “Grandpa?” Jinsang asked again, quietly this time.

                “Yes, Jinsang?” Leeteuk leaned closer so he could hear better.

                “When I grow up, I’ll be your wings,” he nodded firmly, holding up his pinky to swear on it.

                Leeteuk regarded his grandson for a moment, a slow, proud smile on his face and accepted the gesture for what it was.  He locked pinkies with him and nodded.  “I might have to hold you to that,” he murmured, pulling the little boy into his arms and hugging him close as he kissed the top of his head, tears b his eyes.  He saw the other three watching him with warm smiles and he nodded slightly back at them.

                Eunhyuk reached out and nudged Heechul lightly, jerking his head to the side.  The other agreed and Kangin shrugged his shoulders.  “Alright Leeteuk.  It’s getting late,” Eunhyuk murmured softly when they finally pulled apart.

                “Aye.  That it is,” Leeteuk agreed, setting Jinsang on the ground again.  “It’s about bed time for you little one.”

                “But I’m not sleepy,” Jinsang denied, peering up at the much taller man now that he was standing.

                “But I am,” Leeteuk winked conspiratorially.  “Come on.  Say good night to your other grandpas,” he chuckled, earning various reactions from the other three.

                Jinsang obligingly gave hugs to all three of their visitors, giggling when Kangin tossed him up into the air and caught him adeptly.  “Sorry,” he laughed with a glance at Leeteuk.  “It’s not playtime anymore little man,” he placed a hand on Jinsang’s head and ruffled the hair affectionately.

                “We’ll see you again soon, Jinsang,” Heechul winked and blew him a kiss, to which the young boy dashed away.

                “Eww!” he ran and hid behind Leeteuk to their amusement.

                “Night Jinsang!” Eunhyuk grinned, waving energetically with one hand.  “Take care of your grandpa okay?”

                Jinsang peeked around Leeteuk’s leg and nodded in agreement at Eunhyuk before his grandpa reached down to pick him up.  “Come on then.  Off to bed with us,” he smiled, waving in farewell as they let themselves out.  “I don’t think your parents would like either of us staying up this late.”

                “Nope,” Jinsang shook his head against Leeteuk’s shoulder, yawning sleepily.

                “I won’t tell if you won’t,” his grandpa murmured, pausing when he received no response.  A glance down showed Jinsang asleep in his arms, his expression peaceful even as he clung to Leeteuk’s shirt.  Softly, he kissed the little boy’s head again and took a deep breath, continuing to his room.  Yes.  It was worth it after all.

(a/n:  Just in case you were wondering if there was any significance to the order in which the members were freed, I actually pulled their names out of a hat, leaving it to chance.  haha  Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!)