Yu-Gi-Oh is the property of Konami and Kazuki Takahashi, and this work is only a very appreciative celebration, from which we hope to derive no profit of any kind.

It was raining when they got to Dumfries. It had been raining ever since the train left Manchester, and it only seemed to get harder, the further north they went. When Pegasus and Yami disembarked from their railway carriage on a little railway platform, the ocean was lashing hard against the railings across the road, as if it wanted to get up there and swallow them, and the rain was coming down just as hard, as if it would gladly feed them to the hungry sea.

"Nature, Yami, red in tooth and claw," Pegasus said lightly. He turned up the collar on his greatcoat, which was already getting quite wet, after just five minutes outside, and pulled his companion in closer under the big umbrella he'd opened for both of them.

Yami shivered a little, brushing fruitlessly at the water as it fell on his sleeve. "What we need," he said, "is a cab," in the hopeful tone of a Londoner, who's used to hansoms being everywhere, and always right when you need them. "We can't walk all the way to - Where is this castle again, Pegasus?"

Castle Kirkconnell, was in the Galloway hills, a few miles outside Dumfries, and Pegasus quite despaired that they would have to walk, especially after Yami asked the proprietress at the inn across the street from the railway station about getting a cab, and she laughed in his face. "Bless you lad," she said. "D'you think you're in Edinburgh? Folks here aren't too proud to walk, and when the gentry come to town, why they arrange for their transportation ahead of time." It was only their good fortune that the greengrocer in town was taking an order up to the castle, that saved them the long journey, and he and Yami weren't too proud to huddle in the back of the grocer's wagon under the same tarpaulin that protected the cabbages; it was better than trudging for hours in the rain.

They reached their destination, MacNab, the greengrocer politely helping them down out of the wagon, and then all the more politely thanking them for the guinea that Yami pressed into his hand as payment. It was too much of course, but the generosity looked good. And besides, he was supposed to be Donald Jardine, who'd been in India for almost a decade, and might be expected to be out of the habit of British currency. The rain had stopped while they were driving and, as they straightened to look at their destination, the setting sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the stone walls of the Jardine home and turning them the color of gold. "The old castle's from the Fourteenth Century," Pegasus told Yami in a low voice, as they walked up the drive. "It's about five miles from here. I believe the family has some plans of renovating it and giving paid tours. This house was built in the Seventeenth Century," he added, last renovated in the 1880's." He smiled. "It should be quite comfortable."

The door opened before either of them could touch the knocker. - Probably MacNab had told the staff of their arrival. - An elderly butler, still hearty, and almost as tall as Pegasus, greeted them with a wide smile. "Master Donald?" he said. "Ye've arrived at last." He stepped back, allowing them entrance, and Pegasus caught sight of a maid, at least two footmen, and a stout cook, also with a smile on her face, all in the hallway watching them. "We've had a telephone put in," the butler continued speaking as he shut the door behind them, "didn't His Lordship write you? Ye should have called from in town, His Lordship will never forgive me that you had to ride in a grocer's wagon." - From his tone, you'd have thought it was a hearse, and they'd ridden with rotting corpses, instead of nice, fresh cabbages.

"Master Donald!" Now it was the cook's turn, and she hurried forward, enveloping Yami in a big, tight hug. "It's been so long! And you're all grown up now! Ah me, I remember when you were just a lad and you were in my kitchen all the time begging treats." Letting loose of him, she turned her gaze toward Pegasus. "And who is your friend?" she asked.

"A pleasure, madam." Pegasus gave her a polite bow. "My name is Maximilion Crawford, Colonel of the Mysore Horse. Jardine and I worked together in Bangalore," he said, "and when he decided it was time for a visit to his family, he graciously invited me to accompany him and spend Christmas."

"Then you'll be here through Christmas, Master Donald?" The stout cook positively beamed with pleasure. "Oh, that is good news! Master Yuugi will be so pleased!"

"He's in the upstairs parlor with your parents," she added. "They'll want to see you right away. Unless you care for a rest first?" Turning, she signaled for two of the maids who were crowding all the doorways, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, while staring at Yami and Pegasus for all they were worth. "You, Mary," she snapped, "Lizzie! Get over here and show Master Donald and his guest to their rooms!" She included one of the footmen in her glare, adding, "Charlie, get over here and start taking up their trunks!"

The house was enormous, and magnificent, and crammed with things that looked like they could tell a whole lot about the family and its history. Following the starched and stuffy-looking butler, upstairs to meet the Jardine family, Yami wanted to look all around him and take in all the details he could. He restrained himself of course though; "Donald Jardine" already knew his own house. He wouldn't be staring all around him like a stranger.

As he knew from Pegasus' research, Donald was the adventurous of Jardine brother. He'd gone to Rugby, and then when he'd finished school, he'd refused the safe, undemanding jobs his father had found for him, and taken a job with the East India Company instead. How his father had felt about watching his older son and heir go off to Bangalore, Pegasus hadn't been able to say of course, but Yami thought it said something about his feelings, that he'd kept his son at home and was sending him to school in Drumfries. …Mind you, it might just say that the boy was a weakling, or an invalid or something.

"Master Donald," – The butler stopped so short in the doorway to the parlor that Yami stumbled over his heels. - "and Maximillion Crawford, Colonel of the Mysore Horse," he announced, and then – Then! – moved aside to let the visitors enter.

"Donald!" The brown-haired lady who rushed up to hug him was his "mother", Yami assumed. She was taller than he, and he had to tip his face upward, to meet all the kisses she was showering on him. Behind her stood the man who was presumably his "father", James, the current Earl. He stood straight, and as tall as his rather limited height would let him, but from the smile that kept breaking out on his face, Yami could tell he was just waiting for his own chance to greet his "son".

Waiting in the doorway for his own chance to introduce himself, Pegasus eyed the scene with an artist's eye: There was the fond mother, practically weeping in her happiness at seeing her son again. There was the father – Yami fitted in better than he could have hoped, he noted. Both the Earl and his son Yuugi were short, and, an unexpected plus, both of them had spiky, reddish-blond hair, much like Yami's own. – and, behind him, the brother, waiting to greet the prodigal home. Backlit by the flames from the fireplace, it was a scene of coziness and tender emotion that any Royal Academician would have paid for the opportunity to paint, and if Pegasus had any regret at all, it was only that he had no way of profiting from it. No matter though, he and Yami would be profiting soon enough.

For now though, he waited his turn. First "Donald" must be greeted, with hugs aplenty from his mother, and a manly clap on the back (with eyes tearing a little) from the Earl. This took some time, understandably enough, since if his sources were correct, it had been six years since the Jardines had seen their elder son. It was only after these first greetings were over, that they turned to greet the stranger in their midst.

"Colonel …Crawford, was it?" The Earl's smile was cordial. "And you are a friend of Donald's, are you?"

"I have that honor," Pegasus said. "The whole time I've known him," he said, "Donald has been telling me about the wonderful Christmases he used to share with his family, and so when he invited me to come home with him and share one, what could I possibly say but yes?"

"He told you about them, did he?" The lines at the corners of the Earl's eyes crinkled, an expression half pleased and half moved. "I didn't know he remembered. He ought to have come home and enjoyed more of them, in that case," he added, a note of comical reproof in his voice.

"You know how these things go, Your Lordship," Pegasus said blandly. "There's one's responsibilities. It's hard to get away."

"Responsibilities, yes." The Countess had come over to meet him now too, after one last final hug to her "son". "Do you work closely with Donald then, Colonel?" She put her hand on his arm, and looked up at him with large, lustrous brown eyes.

"Ah no, Your Ladyship." – As always happened when he was speaking with an attractive woman, Pegasus' tone became a little more intimate. – "Ours is a social acquaintance only," he said.

The Countess, for her part, met Pegasus' smile with a warm one of her own. "Don't let's stand on formalities," she said. "You must call me Margaret, and call my husband James. And we'll call you…"

"Max," he supplied. "Please call me Max."

"Max." Margaret gave him a brilliant smile. She led him to a sofa opposite the fireplace, and ensconced them both, sitting comfortably side-by-side. Looking up at the butler, still in the doorway, "Gilmour," she said, "please bring tea for our guests. I'm sure they're hungry after their trip."

The Earl for his part, took a seat at the end of the same sofa. He sat upright, a little more stiffly than the demonstrative Margaret, but clearly happy to have both "Donald" and "the Colonel" here. On the other sofa across from them, the younger boy, Yuugi, had settled in comfortably with his "brother".

"You can sit right here," he told him happily. "And you'll tell me all about India, won't you?"

"Please Yuugi, don't hog your brother like that," Margaret gently chastised him. "There will be plenty of talk about India later. You're going to stay for the holidays, right Donald?"

"Until the New Year, yes," Yami said.

"That is good to hear," said the Countess.

He was nestled up in the warmth of a velvet-upholstered sofa, close to a roaring fire that he felt like he needed, just to get rid of the chill that came of his cold ride up to the castle, but to Yami, it felt like the Jardine family was nestling up close to him. His so-called "brother" Yuugi was the only one actually cuddling close to him, but from the hungry looks on the two older Jardines' faces, it was clear it was only good manners that kept them from doing the same. The Earl looked at him like ...Like Yami was a hot pie in a baker's window, he thought, and the Earl was a hungry boy. And the Countess, over on the far sofa next to Pegasus, kept looking over his way, and then dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief. It felt good, knowing how successful the scam was going, but it was kind of disturbing as well. The feelings in him, were they guilt feelings? Was he really feeling bad, that he was going to let them think they had their beloved Donald back and all, and then leave them feeling worse than ever when he left?

It wasn't like this was the first time that he and Pegasus had pulled a scam like this. Yami thought about Mrs. Valentine again. He thought about that Japanese gentleman, Mr. Otogi, and all the lovely Russian gold he'd taken off him before disappearing into the night. Pegasus always said they gave value for money, because look at all the happiness they spread around, compared to what little they took. "Just material possessions, Yami," he always said, "and what are those, compared to matters of the heart?" But hearts could be broken, couldn't they? And Yami couldn't help thinking that it was going to do a lot more harm to the Jardines' hearts when they found out that their so-called "long-lost son Donald" was really a conman, than it had when Mrs. Valentine and Mr. Otogi had lost their light o' love.

These feelings, he hurriedly shoved to the back of his mind. Fortunately for him, Pegasus was doing a fine job of telling stories about India, and no one had noticed his silence yet. He was just telling some story about how the leaves of tea-trees were so strong that boys could run along the tops of them, just as if they were on the ground, that he must have pulled out of his ass or something, because the gods knew, Pegasus had no more experience of India than he did of the moon. And then there was a quiet rattle, as the butler that Yami had met in the hallway, came in and set a huge laden tray on the table.

"Your tea, milady,"

There was tea, - Good tea, not the horrid, stewed-tasting stuff he used to get back in London. - served with cream, and sugar, and slices of lemon. There was a huge plateful of sliced fruitcake, and a plateful of hot buttered toast, and a plate of fairy cakes, frosted pink and white, and decorated with coconut and hundreds-and-thousands as well. Yami, still young, and with luncheon on the train seeming just a memory now, he set to right away, and he noticed his "brother" Yuugi did as well. Their hands bumped, as they both went for the plateful of fairy cakes. Maybe it was his imagination, but Yami suspected his "brother" was after the same coconut one, that looked like it had more frosting than any of the others, as he was, and he withdrew his hand, smiling, letting Yuugi go first. Then when he did take that one, Yami couldn't help laughing.

Yuugi laughed as well. His whole face went pink, and his violet eyes sparkled, when he laughed. Despite himself, Yami felt a surge of something like affection. If he had a little brother, he told himself, he'd like one like this... Then he caught himself; it wouldn't be good if he grew fond of the victims of his and Pegasus' con. He couldn't help his grin though, and it stayed on his face, as he took a pink fairy cake, generously covered with hundreds-and-thousands, and bit into it at once, showering tiny colored candies onto his plate.

"Dear Donald," he heard the Countess' voice. "Those always were your favorite."

Then, responding, "has he always had a sweet tooth?" Pegasus asked.

"Oh yes," said the Countess, a warm smile on her face, thinking of fond memories. "He would be the one to go down to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get himself a handful of cookies... which he always ended up sharing with Yuugi. He thought he was so smart in sneaking around, but the maid found all the crumbs in their beds, of course."

"Mother, please," Yami said, quasi-embarrassed, even though he was still munching on his cake. Margaret laughed with delight, and even the Earl was wearing a big smile, forgetting his stern exterior. After seven years of not seeing his son, one couldn't blame the man for not keeping up with his fairly stern posture; it was time for happiness now, not to hold on to rigid behavior. He was sipping his tea, sitting straight on the sofa, next to his wife. Yuugi was looking up at his brother with awe, face a little pink, as he indulged himself with the coconut cupcake.

"You have to tell me how you met the Colonel," the Earl said. "I am glad you were able to travel together. It is always better to travel in the company of someone trustworthy."

"Ah yes," Yami said, reclining into the lush cushions of the sofa, reveling in the warmth of the open fireplace. "It was in the small village of Rahatnampur: I arrived late and all out of supplies, and the Colonel was as kind enough to invite me into his home for the night. He was posted to Bangalore early the next year, and we became fast friends. - I hope you don't mind me inviting him over for the holidays, Mother, Father?"

"Of course not," the Countess assured him.

"Any friend of yours, son," the Earl added, "is always welcome here. Ah son," he continued, "I would like a word with you while you're here. I am curious what your plans are for after the holidays."

"Not right now, please dear." The Countess gave her husband a look. "We'd both rather you stay home, of course, Donald. It's time you learned your responsibilities here, instead of gallivanting all over the world... seven years has been so long. And the last two years, we didn't get any letters from you at all..."

"I'm sorry mother," Yami looked down. He felt guilty, but why should he, he asked himself. After all, he wasn't the Donald who'd stayed away and been silent for so long. "I tried to send more letters, but I was in such remote villages most of the time, that the mail service wasn't very good. I'm so sorry."

"He's here now." The Earl's voice had a harrumph to it for the first time, and he sounded uncomfortable. "I suppose you got some good hunting in India, Colonel?" he said, changing the subject. "Was it all big game? Elephants and things?"

"Oh, not at all." Pegasus caught the cue and went with it, his improvisation facile as always. "Remember, Your Lordship, the elephant is a work animal in India. The natives raise them, and they're only killed if they go mad or break training. No, it's mostly deer hunting, with the occasional chance to shoot a tiger."

"A tiger? Oh dear!" The Countess threw a quick look Yami's way, as if imagining him between the merciless teeth of one of the big cats, and he tossed his own bit into the conversation just to distract her. "Yes, mother," he said, "you heard right. The Colonel is quite the tiger-hunter, aren't you Max? Tell her about the one you got near Mumbai. - Who was that woman you gave the skin to? Wasn't it that pretty half-caste my supervisor was living with?"

He saw his "mother's" face grow pink, but at least she dropped the subject of his life and her worry for him. Pegasus took the conversation from where he left off. "Oh no," he said. "It was that missionary's wife from Detroit. Don't you remember?" He laughed. "The last I heard of her," he said, "she was married to some native Prince or another. Great beauty like hers is wasted, preaching the Gospel in a lot of out-of-the-way villages"

The Countess's face was going a lot pinker, very fast now, and Yuugi's face was pink as well. "Ladies present," the Earl put in, although he sounded like he was rather enjoying the conversation. "Perhaps we can talk more about that missionary's wife later," he said with a grin, "over brandy after dinner maybe, or while we're out shooting grouse. - Frightfully good hunting heareabouts," he added.

"I want to hear all about India," Yuugi said, "especially about the tigers, and," - He blushed a little more. - "the other bits." He stood, looking down at Yami. "You're sleeping in your old room," he said. "We could go up there now and talk some more." He smiled, as his so-called "brother" nodded agreement, and then turned to the Countess. "And may we take a few of the cakes up with us Mother?" he said. "I promise we won't drop crumbs this time."

"Of course, Yuugi dear," she said with a warm smile, while in the background, the Earl grumbled something about 'spoiling the boy more than he's already been spoiled'. Giving her his own bright smile, Yuugi hurried to take advantage of the permission, gathering cakes together into a large linen napkin with one hand, while he took Yami's hand with his other, practically dragging him out of the room.

"It's good to get some time alone with you," he said, as he took Yami down the hall, and up one flight of stairs to his bedroom.