Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh is not my property.

Warnings: Extreme AU, Yaoi, violence, torture, foul language, rape, ooc(yes, I try to keep them close to in character, but I'm much more interested in telling the story I wish to tell so I just rely on the fact that I cast them appropriately), possible character death(I'm not one of those author's who feels bad about killing off characters), back-story tampering(since it's an AU I have tampered with some of the character's histories a bit, just thought I'd warn you in advance.)

What you should know before we begin: (This will be kind of long so I don't ever have to waste time at the beginning of chapters again) This is my first official fanfic here. It's something I've been wanting to write for awhile but never got around to. I just love the idea of writing a war epic, but I couldn't think of a story line for Yugi and Jou (all the others have been in my head for months). Then, on my plane ride back from France this weekend, I ended up seated next to a Vietnam Veteran. I spent practically the whole flight talking with him and I finally thought them up a story line. So now I feel obligated to at least give this a shot.

That being said, this is not set during the Vietnam War. I did sort of use that war as a guideline, but I didn't want to be burdened with that time line and battle outcomes. Also, I created my own AU so that I didn't have to deal with the whole gays in the military issue. The warnings above cover the whole story, although I will try to put additional warnings before especially disturbing chapters.

Finally, I warped some of the characters ages for this so here is where they now stand: Yugi, Seto, Ryou and Malik (16), Jounouchi and Yami (18), Bakura (20), Marik (21). If I didn't list their age here I'll probably tell you when they show up or it hasn't changed much.

I know I said finally before, but one more thing. The prologue contains an OC, but she is only a plot device and has a very minimal role after the prologue, I promise. She is important to how I want to tell the story though, but you'll see that as you read. Ok, you may now read and enjoy.

Prologue

No one had been up to the attic above the garage for years. The thick layer of dust clinging to every available surface was proof enough of that. As if to prepare Annie for what was to come, a strong blast of hot musty air hit the fifteen year old's face when she stuck her head through the opening in the floor at the top of the pull-down stairs. The air had been trapped in the attic so long that it felt thick in Annie's lungs and seemed to cling to her throat. She took a few breathes to allow her respiratory system to adjust as she glanced around. The far corner was filled with furniture, probably antique, and it was all carefully covered in plastic. Tables, chairs, couches, dressers-all of them were carefully preserved and precisely arranged. Trunks that seemed endless in number lined the walls, all different shapes and sizes represented. A few seemed to be locked shut while others just merely appeared to be closed. Most intimidating of all though were the piles upon piles of cardboard boxes. They covered practically every available bit of space left it seemed, except for a narrow pathway left open for one to navigate along. On the front of each box in perfect black script that Annie immediately recognized as her grandmother's, was a description of what that box contained. Plates, baby clothes, sandals, mugs, stuffed animals...all had their own boxes. Annie even noticed there was a box labeled "lingerie for Timothy" that she decided was best to just avoid altogether.

Stepping up into the room, she noticed the sun streaming in through a small window at the top of the far wall. The window, like the rest of the room, was covered in dirt and dust. It seemed to therefore filter the sunlight, dulling it's brilliance slightly and giving the attic a reverent quality. Annie watched the dust particles dance in the beam of muted sunlight while she tapped the head of her flashlight against her upper thigh. She had brought the hunk of red plastic along just incase, and now that she realized the window was providing the only illumination in the dim room, she debated wether or not to turn the damn thing on. Finally deciding that the more light she had the better, she pushed the white knob forward into the on position, and used the additional light to make her way to the nearest trunk.

Kneeling down in front of the antique, she noticed that she had already broken out in a light sweat. She could feel a drop of the moisture trail from her hairline to her cheekbone, and she reached up to wipe it away. Knowing she wasn't out of shape enough for the short walk to have caused the perspiration, she mentally cursed herself for having chosen a hot August day to explore this secret "treasure vault" above her grandmother's garage. It was hot enough outside, but the lack of ventilation up here made it nearly unbearable. Even the short shorts and tiny tank top she had chosen weren't making much of a difference. Luckily, Annie's curiosity overpowered the uncomfortable conditions, and the girl persevered in her explorations.

Looking at the cedar trunk in front of her, she was stunned by the intricacy of it's carvings. Moons and stars surrounded beautiful angels and unicorns. The angels were carved in such detail that not only could you make out the iris' of their eyes, but Annie felt that she could see every curl in the hair that flowed behind the heavenly beings. The unicorns were carved right down the rings on their horns, and no two appeared identical. True to it's intent, the trunk held a celestial beauty to it.

Hesitating for only a moment, she lifted the lid. She had to turn her face to avoid inhaling the dust this stirred up, but when she was able to see again she was met with the sight of a beautiful silk kimono. Pale pink in color, it was coved with a design of beautiful flowers of pure white and soft baby blue. There was a black obi resting next to the breathtaking kimono, as well as several expensive looking hair ornaments. Annie wondered who had been the last person to wear this beautiful piece. It must have been someone very important, and she indulged herself in the thought that her grandfather had bought it as a gift for his beloved wife on one of their many anniversaries before his death. Suppressing the strong urge to take the kimono out and try it on, Annie continued her exploring.

Ninety minutes later, during which several trips back into refreshing air conditioned house were made, Annie picked up a burgundy photo album. The leather was stretched tight across the cover, and a little plaque fastened directly to the middle held the words Album, but nothing even hinted to it's contents or why it was stored in a box with several military uniforms instead of in the boxes upon boxes labeled simply as Photos. Opening it to the first page, she found an inscription:

Love waits for me 'round the bend

Leads me endlessly on

Surely sorrows shall find their end

and all our troubles will be gone.

And I'll know what I've lost

and all that I've won

when the road finally takes me home.

Annie wasn't sure of the inscriptions meaning, but the words themselves were beautiful. Without even knowing why, she felt a sadness in her heart as she read them, as well as a great hope. Turning to the next page, she found herself staring at six of the most beautiful boys she had ever seen. To the far left was brown eyed boy with dirty blond hair that seemed to be falling into his eyes and Annie couldn't help but wonder if it ever obstructed his vision.. His features were masculine; deep-set eyes, narrow nose, strong jaw line. The boy was seated in a chair, and with a goofy grin plastered on his face was making a peace sign at the camera with his index and middle finger. Seated on his lap was another boy with the most unique looking hair she had ever seen. Blond bangs framed his face, still a bit round from baby fat, and the rest was a deep black swept up into several severe points and outlined in what appeared to be magenta. It certainly made for an interesting look, but somehow this boy managed to pull it off. He seemed almost childlike seated there with his arms wrapped around the blond's neck, wide lavender eyes turned to sparkle brilliantly at the camera. Nestled together on the single chair, the two boys looked not only happy, but content.

In the next seat over was a very rigid looking boy. Back straight, head held high, shoulders squared-he was sitting with perfect posture except for the fact that his right leg was crossed over his left and his arms were folded in front of his chest. He had beautiful chestnut hair and piercing blue eyes that even in the humidity of the attic made Annie shiver. The scowl distorting his features suggested that being part of this photo certainly hadn't been his idea. In fact, he seemed to be glaring at the camera rather than just looking at it, perhaps hoping his malice alone could cause it to malfunction. Behind him stood a teen who at first glance appeared to be a near duplicate of the small boy on the blond's lap, who Annie had thought had a unique hairstyle. Yet while the hair was nearly identical, this one's had slightly more blond, the standing teen had crimson instead of lavender eyes and seemed to be older as well as taller. The boy's chin was resting on the head of the brunet in front of him, with his arms draped casually around said boy's neck so that they dangled along his chest and brushed his own harshly folded arms. The smirk the crimson eyed youth was wearing hinted that he knew the boy he was draped on was less than thrilled with this situation being immortalized in a photo.

In the final chair sat a boy with cloud-like hair, in that it was white and looked extremely soft and puffy. His pale locks fell to just below his shoulders and he had just enough bangs to obscure his eyes should he ever wish to hide behind them. His skin seemed almost porcelain it was so white, and she wondered if the boy didn't get outside much. She would have thought he were an albino if it weren't for his eyes. They were a rich chocolate in color, but seemed to hold a look of borderline innocence and sorrow that was often only found in young children who had suffered a great loss. His delicate hands were folded neatly in his lap, and he wore a smile that Annie couldn't help but notice didn't quite reach his eyes, making it appear not entirely genuine. Standing behind this boy, hip jutted out to the left, left hand resting in the crook this created was the final boy. He had striking lavender eyes outlined heavily in black to compliment his tanned skin and bright blond hair. He wore gold earrings as well as several other pieces of gold jewelry all of which brought out the rich caramel of his skin. He appeared not to be just posing, but to be attempting to seduce the camera.

Flipping through the rest of the album, Annie took notice of a few photos in particular. One was of the older looking spiky haired teen and the brunet standing in front of what appeared to be an office building, in which the shorter teen had his arm wrapped possessively around the other and the blue eyed boy was actually smiling. Another showed the same spiky haired boy with the shaggy haired blond boy, both in khaki-colored uniforms. Then there was one of the other blond and another man with gravity defying blond hair. They were lounging on a couch, and the blond from the first photo had his head in the lap of the other, who was stroking his hair, and seemed to be blissfully content. Her personal favorite showed the pale white haired boy slung over the shoulder of another person with white hair (who was facing away from the camera) an embarrassed flush covering his face as he waved sheepishly at the camera. The final one that stood out for Annie was of the brunet seated against a brick wall in the rain hugging his knees to his chest. He was soaking wet, but the smaller spiky haired boy stood next to him, shielding them both with a pink umbrella. The vulnerability of the pair was almost heartbreaking.

"Annie! Annie is that you up there?"

The sound of her grandmother's voice shattered the silence that had surrounded the girl, and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Grandma," she called back. "It's just me."

"What are you doing up there sweetheart?" The elderly voice held no accusation, only curiosity and perhaps a hint of worry.

"Well, at the moment I'm looking through a photo album." Annie didn't call out quite so loud this time, as it sounded like her grandmother was now at the foot of the attic's stairs.

The old lady seemed to think about this for a moment. "The conditions up there are terrible. Why don't you bring the album down into the house and we'll look at it together?"

Pondering for a moment why she hadn't thought to look through the album out of the sweltering heat of the attic in the first place, Annie looked around at some of the things she had left lying about.

"I'll be right down Grandma, I just have to put some stuff away."

"Alright Annie, I'll just go make us some lemonade then."

Hearing her Grandma's step retreat into the house, Annie closed the album in her hand and quickly packed away the rest of the things. At the mention of her Grandma's famous lemonade, Annie had realized just how thirsty she was. All this heat and sweating was leaving her a bit dehydrated, and the cold sweetness was just what she needed.

Exiting the attic and returning the stairs to their original position, Annie made her way into the air conditioned sanctuary of her Grandma's house. It was like a blessing from above as the cool air hit her heated skin and she was instantly grateful she'd been called inside. It wasn't even noon yet, and that meant that the day was only going to get hotter. Now she could spend it indoors talking with her Grandma instead of melting away like the wicked witch of the west in that attic.

When she entered the livingroom, she found her Grandma seated on the forest green couch patting the cushion next to her in invitation. A tray with a pitcher of icy cold lemonade and two glasses had been placed in front of her on the coffee table.

"Come here," the old lady beckoned. "Sit down and let's take a look at which album you found."

Settling in next to her, Annie placed the leather bound album in her Grandma's lap. The old women took in a startled gasp of air and Annie saw a line of tears form at the wrinkled lash line of her face. The strange reaction only made Annie more curious about the pictures and the lives they had captured.

"I should have known you would be drawn to this album," her grandmother managed after she composed herself.

"Why's that?" Annie asked slowly. Perhaps it had been her destiny to find this album, perhaps it held some family secret that she would now be let in on, perhaps it had something to do with her herself...the possibilities were endless and all seemed to run through her head at once.

"Because," her Grandma explained with a smirk, "it's full of cute boys."

Annie laughed then. Not only at her grandma's joke, but at the foolish thinking of her own mind.

"So what's this an album of?" Annie renewed her determination to get to the bottom of this.

"It's a chronicle." Seeing the confusion in her granddaughter's face she elaborated. "A chronicle of four teens and the men they loved."

A love story? Annie, just like every other fifteen year old girl, was a sucker for a love story.

"Did you know them?" She asked.

"Yes, very well. In fact," the wrinkled hands opened the album to the first photo of the six boys. "I'm the one who took this photo. It was the day I left to come here to America."

"Oh. So, um...who are they?" Annie felt bad for interrupting the nostalgic thoughts her Grandma had drifted off into, but she suddenly had so many questions and was impatient to get them all answered.

Her Grandma smiled tenderly at her. "I'm sorry sweety, I just got caught up in my memories there for a minute. Who are they? Ok now let's see, the dirty blond is Katsuya Jounouchi. He's about as loyal as they come, and he can be quite the charmer. The small boy in his lap is Yugi Mutou- quiet, shy, but the bravest soul I've ever come across. He'll do anything to help a friend, and he can win over just about anyone. The standoffish brunet is Seto Kaiba-arrogant, cold, but an all together decent guy. You're much better off having him as a friend than an enemy. Behind him is Yugi's older brother Yami. That guy's knowledgeable and confident, with the skills to back it up. The final seated boy is Ryou Bakura- he's suffered far too much in his short life and it's made him somewhat quiet and reserved, but he has a very loving heart. Last and certainly not least, and I suggest you never tell him that he is either, is Malik Ishtar-a kind boy who can hold one hell of a grudge."

Annie let the informative introductions sink in. As her Grandma's sweet voice described them, she tried to imagine the personality traits on the people in the picture. They seemed a perfect fit.

"So what are all these pictures of?" Annie asked. "I mean what is their significance?"

Her grandmother carefully traced her fingers over the faces in the photo and let her eyes slide closed.

"These photo's tell a story Annie. A story of love, pain, sacrifice, and an intense will to survive during the Middle War."

Annie's eyes widened, and all she could squeak out was a "Really?" before mentally kicking herself for sounding like a six year old.

Her grandma placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Yes. Now, pour me a glass of lemonade and I'll begin the story."

(1): The inscription on the album is actually the chorus to Mary Fahl's Going Home. Find it on her cd The Other Side Of Time, or the God's and General's soundtrack.

Author's notes:

Yippie you made it!! If there were a prize, this is where you would collect it (sorry I've been eating Smarties all day and the sugar is starting to go to my head.) I really hope you liked this and are looking forward to more, and my apologies if you didn't. I do realize that I didn't tell you who Annie's grandmother is, and I'm not really sure myself. It's either Mai or Anzu, but I couldn't decide which one to use so I just chose not to say. Pick whichever one you like better I guess since it doesn't really matter.

I'm a bit of a review whore, I use them as fuel for additional chapters, so if you want to leave one that would be great. Just remember the lesson of Bambi (besides don't go to the meadow when the hunters are there): If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Thanks for reading. Jade