Ian's Menagerie

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Who is Drifter? Many people have asked, and here's who:

Drifter was a dog who lived on my gramma's farm. I loved him a lot. He was like a member of my family. When I started writing Ian's Menagerie, I had just found out he died when he drown in his owner's pool. I was devastated! He never went near the pool! Of the dogs that lived with that woman, Drifter was my favorite. He didn't scare me like Caesar (rotweiler) did, and he didn't jump like Maggie (old bloodhound). I adored him, and when I found out he died, I went out to the barn and cried. His death, which happened during the summer and it's now February, still hurts badly. I always loved petting the old boy. I met my cousin's dog and started this fic. Then, I thought about its name. My mind went to Drifter, and so the dog was born. And that's Drifter's story. Now, on with Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: Six Becomes Seven

Spencer backed away in terror of the beast before him. Never had anything ever reacted so terribly to water. It was terrifying to the Blitzkrieg Boy, despite his high tolerance of everything.

Bryan spit the water from his mouth. "Ian, get the dog!"

Ian grabbed Drifter. "It's okay, girl. It won't hurt you."

Spence, having calmed down, got down on his knees beside the bathtub. "She's scared of water."

"NO SHIT, SPENCER!"

Tala walked in and saw the mess. "We're NOT sponge-bathing her!"

"Fuck off, Tala," Ian said.

Spence tried intervening. "Let's put her in there slowly."

"I tried."

"We'll try together. I'll hold her back legs."

"Kin-ky," Ian said.

"She's a dog, Ian", Spencer reminded him.

"So's Tala."

"Screw you", Tala snapped before leaving.

"I told you earlier, Tala, you and Kai are the only gays here."

"Let that go!"

Spencer tried intervening. "Ian, take her front. Bryan, hold her middle."

Bryan smirked. "I don't leave my own species, Spencer."

"We're getting the puppy into the bathtub", Spencer reminded him, frowning.

"Here's an idea," Bryan said. "Ian, get in with her."

"WHAT! I thought you weren't gay!"

"I'm not. I meant put on a bathing suit or something."

Spencer slowly started moving his hands towards Drifter's back end. "On three."

"Let's say four and drop Ian in with her."

Before Spencer could tell him not, Bryan seized Ian (not that way, you pervs!) and shoved him into the bathtub and water. A splash ensued followed by cussing. At that point, Drifter ran under the sink.

"Damn!" Bryan swore.

Spencer went to Drifter. "Come here girl . . ." He quickly retracted his hand. "It's all right. You don't have to be mean."

"She bite you?"

"Good!" Ian spluttered in the tub.

"I wasn't the one who threw you in there", Spencer told Ian, now holding Drifter in one hand. "Think you can hold her in there?"

"Probably."

Spencer quickly handed the squirming dog to Ian, who still sat fully clothed in the bathtub.

Drifter frantically whimpered as she was lowered to the warm water. Ian murmured soothingly to her as her butt touched the water.

"Not bad so far", commented Spencer.

Drifter's entire lower half was submerged now, and Ian was happy with that.

Tala had reentered and watched. "Looks like she hates taking baths alone."

"Oh, shut up, Tala! The Alpha males of your species mate with EVERY FEMALE!"

"I didn't try any of the girls at the tournament", Tala retorted.

"You man-whore!"

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"You went with EMILY!"

His eyes widened. "How did you know!"

"I have my ways..." Ian said mysteriously. "I have your clothes bugged, Mister, and right down to your boxers."

Tala looked revolted and replied, "You're gay, Ian. I'm not. I've actually had girlfriends."

"I'M NOT GAY, YOU WALKING STD. I'M NOT THE ONE WHO WAS SCREWING MARIAH WHILE WE WERE STILL IN THE ABBEY!"

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL ANYONE!" Tala yelled, glaring icy daggers at the midget in the tub with the pup.

Drifter whimpered and huddled against Ian's stomach, afraid of all the yelling. Ian petted her gently.

"Can you take her, Bryan?" he asked.

Bryan took a towel and picked up the wet puppy. "That wasn't so bad, was it, Drifter?"

Spencer looked at Tala in surprise. "That's where you went when you were missing?"

Tala tried saving his situation. "I wasn't exactly screwing her."

"You mean you were doing other girls!"

"No, it was just Mariah. I wasn't screwing her, though!"

"Wait... Wasn't Mariah Rei's girl?" Bryan asked, toweling the pup dry.

"Yeah, she was crying over him when the paramedics came for him. She was going to tell Rei she was breaking up with him, but Mariah . . ." He sighed, sounding tired. "She didn't feel like she could dump him while he was in the hospital. She told him it was over after the third match."

"So much for a victory."

"Drifter-girl, can you jump on Tala for me?" Bryan asked.

She obliged, leaping onto Tala's chest and licking his face.

Tala smiled and patted the small dog. "Sorry, but I don't date that young."

She whimpered.

"Oh, but you sleep around, Tala?"

"Sorry, Ian, but I'm not easy. I'm very selective", he told him, sounding very much the alpha male.

"Yeah. They have to have a decent ass."

"No. First off, they have to at least be emotionally strong", Tala began.

Spencer gave him a questioning look. "They have to be strong for what, Tala?"

Bryan's eyes widened. "Tala, you rape them!"

"NO!" Tala defended himself, being completely true. "Some girls just think I'm too intense."

"Whatever, Tala."

Drifter huddled on to Tala's shirt again and began crawling into the collar of his jacket. Being quick about it, Drifter crawled in there fast enough that now only her small butt hung out.

"Ian, get your dog's ass outta my face!"

Spencer handed a towel to Ian, who still sat in the tub. Drifter, meanwhile, appeared to be stuck.

"IAN!" Tala thundered.

Drifter whimpered. She loved dark places for sleeping, but only if her entire body could fit inside. Her little back legs moved, scraping against Tala's shoulder to move herself. She finally pulled her bottom half into the collar and tried situating herself next to his neck. Unfortunately, she fell again, this time ending up cradled where his black shirt tucked into his pants. She wriggled into a comfortable position and went to sleep.

Tala quickly reached up his shirt and pulled out Drifter. He turned glaring eyes toward his teammates. "Not a word."

"It's old news that you're a mother, Tala," Bryan said. "We aren't going to say anything."

"Don't tell my dates that", Tala told him, handing Drifter over to Ian. "Take your dog."

Ian handed the pup to Bryan. "She's dry. I'm wet. Can you all leave so I can finish this damn bath?"

None of them being gay, all team members quickly exited the bathroom. Spencer closed the door behind him.

Bryan put Drifter down on his bed. "Happy now, girl?"

Drifter barked, wagging her stump of a tail in joy. She ran all over Bryan's bed, tripping over herself several times before crawling on to the pillow, sitting down.

Bryan petted down her back. "Good girl."

She turned her head and tried licking his fingers, but only succeeded in getting his glove wet. He removed the sodden garment and petted her again. Drifter suddenly became very rigid looked nervous.

"What's wrong, Drifter?" he asked.

She began squatting, signaling the worst. Well, something close to that. Bryan picked her up quickly and took her outside to the backyard.

Drifter quickly picked a spot and released her earlier breakfast.

Tala walked outside just then. "Bryan, what are you doing?"

"The dog had to go."

He put a hand to his forehead. "I hadn't thought of that. We'll have to come up with something."

"Doggie door?"

"Why don't we give her a treat every time she goes outside. That way, she'll realize that it's a good thing and go to the door every time she needs to."

"Sure."

"Is she done?"

"I'm not going to check!"

"I won't."

Drifter waddled over and sat down in front of Tala. She barked and wagged her tail, already seeming to know that she did good. Tala bent down and patted her head.

"Good girl."

Bryan sighed. "What do you want for lunch, Tala?"

"Nothing that's like the abbey crap we had to eat. I'm not picky."

"All right. Not a problem. Can you watch her?" asked Bryan, gesturing to Drifter, who was wandering around the backyard.

"Sure. If we leave her alone then a falcon is likely to eat her. No offense, Bry." Tala didn't appeal to the idea of leaving Drifter to fend for herself in the large field behind the Hiwatari mansion.

"None taken." Bryan returned to the house.

Drifter barked cutely and tried to attack Tala's foot, but she was a little too small and collided with his ankle instead.

Tala bent down to pick her up and tapped her head lightly, always careful to be gentle with her. "Why did you try to attack me, little girl?"

She barked again, licking his face.

Cupping her body in both gloved hands, Tala carried her back inside to the parlor room and shut the large oak door behind him with his right foot. He set her down on the coffee table and collapsed on to the finely-made couch in front of the large glass table.

Tala leaned his head back and gave a heavy sigh. "Damn it."

"What's up, Tala?" Spencer asked, looking up from his book.

"We're going to New York City in four days. Passports are ready, we've got two rooms in a hotel near the stadium, and Kai has rejoined us. Drifter doesn't fit into this."

"Oh..." Spencer looked up to the captain's face as he scooped up the puppy in his arms. "Well... urm... uh... Leave Ian home?"

Tala closed his eyes and said, "Ian would throw a fit."

"Then we'll bring Drifter with us."

"Spencer, Drifter's presence isn't something we would be able to keep quiet. Ian could watch her but then he'd rarely get to view the tournament."

"He could watch it on TV, couldn't he?" Spencer asked. "Or we could take turns watching her during the battles."

Tala didn't move from his relaxed position. "I don't want the media to get a leak from one of the teams who find out."

"Can't we jump off that bridge when we reach it?"

"You can, but I have to have an idea of what we'll do when that happens." Tala sat up straight and crossed his arms, smirking. "I guess we'll just have to take care of anyone who discovers our friend."

"By take care of, you mean we're gonna beat them up."

"A few other things too, perhaps."

"So we take her."

Tala nodded in response. "We can handle it if anyone finds out and we'll take care of Drifter. I still have one question I'm hoping you can answer, Spence."

"Then ask."

"What should we do if . . . a girl finds out?"

Spencer's reply was blunt and to the point: "Kiss her."

Tala's blue eyes immediately flashed angrily in a glare. "No."

"Unless you want to beat her up too." Spencer raised a brow as he spoke to accent the fact that he truly believed Tala would.

"No, but I wouldn't want to kiss any of them!" Tala defended himself, knowing that he would punch a girl only if she threw the first one. Sometimes girls seemed to get bitchy like that.

"Then what do you suggest?" the teen-aged saint said, crossing his arms.

"What would kissing them do?" Tala demanded to know.

"Call it a trade-off."

Tala accepted the plan and leaned against the back of the couch. "So if a guy finds out we'll rough him up and if it's a girl we do a trade-off. Hm. This could work. Where's Kai, Ian, and Bryan?"

"Bryan's cooking, Kai's upstairs, and Ian's AWOL again."

SLAM!

"Mew!"

"Then again..."

Tala rubbed his temple with is index and middle fingers in frustration. "Ian had better be the one meowing."

A small, wet gray and white kitten bounded into the room closely pursued by the wayward little Ian. "Puddle, get back here!"

"NOT ANOTHER DAMN PET!" Tala yelled, getting to his feet. He was hardly willing to allow Drifter to stay with them, and Ian was going too far with bringing a kitten home.

"But, Tala!"

"Leave him alone, Tala," said Kai, who'd walked in at hearing the kitten and was now holding it.

"We can't take another animal", Tala tried reasoning, knowing that Kai greatly enjoyed the company of a cat.

"It's hard enough to bring Ian", Spencer joked.

"Hey!" Ian whined.

Bryan entered from the kitchen and saw the gray and white thing in Kai's arms. "That a rat?" he asked.

"In less than five hours, Ian has brought home another animal", Tala replied.

"What is it?"

"Puddle's a cat," Ian said.

"...Puddle..."

"I found him in a puddle," Ian said sheepishly.

"Ian, we can't bring a dog and a cat", Tala told the younger teammate.

"It's a puppy and a kitten."

Bryan put a hand on Ian's shoulder. "Ian," he said reasonably, "you barely got Tala to agree to letting Drifter stay."

"But he was abandoned!"

"I'll keep him."

Tala turned his head towards Kai. "You'll keep him?"

Kai looked down at the now purring kitten in his arms and didn't reply.

A red eyebrow rose questioningly. "You like cats?"

"Hn," Kai said, not justifying with a real answer.

"We still can not bring a puppy and a kitten", Tala said, putting emphasis on the fact that these were cute little creatures who would ruin their team reputation with simply one appearance.

"But, Tala..."

Kai turned and left the room with the kitten, making Ian want to cry. First he'd lost Drifter to Tala, now Puddle to Kai. He spun around and hugged Bryan's waist, burying his face in the older boy's shirt.

Tala noticed the annoyed twitch in the silver-haired boy's right eye and said, "Ian, stop crying. You'll see the animals more than you see us. It's up to you to take care of the pets and hide them during the tournament."

"You... You mean we can keep them, Tala?"

"Yeah, fine." He sat back down on the couch.

Ian brightened. "Thanks Tala!" He darted upstairs.

Tala shook his head, noting already that doom was coming towards them in the form of ultimate cuteness. And if a GIRL found out, then they would want to hold the pet and one of the guys would have to give a free kiss.

"Hey, Tala," Bryan said, "shouldn't we start getting ready to leave for the tournament?"

"Sure, but we still have something left to figure out."

"Which is?"

"Who is going to give Puddle a sponge-bath?"

Bryan's reply was prompt and blunt: "Kai."

END CHAPTER 2

A/N: Puddle is the name of the cat I lost to a car in November of 2005. He was born in my yard, and I'd had him since then. He was hit by a car under a streetlight across from my house on November 5, 2005.

Oh, by the way, Tala isn't paired with anyone. No exceptions, no changing our minds, no begging, no pleading.

People, please. Don't comment on the author's notes. I need reviews relevant to the story.