Experiment #1: Nip the Cat in the Bud
Nepetalactone: The chemical compound dominant in Nepeta, a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, also known as catnips.
Catnip is mainly known for, and named after, the effects they have on cats. Detected through their vomeronasal organs (an olfactory sense organ), cats react to the catnip pheramone in a pequliar manner. When cats sense the bruised leaves or stems of catnip, they will rub in it, roll over it, paw at it, chew it, lick it, leap about and purr. Some cats will also growl and meow. This reaction only lasts for several minutes before the cat loses interest. It takes up to two hours for the cat to "reset" and then it can come back to the catnip and have the same response as before. Young kittens and older cats are less likely to have a reaction to catnip but big cats, such as tigers, seem to be extremely sensitive to it.
Purpose: As before mentioned, I wish to observe the effect of pheromonal compounds on members of the youkai population. Being a member of my regular group, Kirara is a redily available (albeit unfortunate) test subject.
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The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and a light summer breeze drifted its way through the clearing as I pulled myself out of the well. I took in a deep breath and inhaled the plesant scents of the feudal era with a happy smile plastered on my lips.
"What a perfect day for an experiment," I mused before setting out toward the village of Endo.
It had taken quite a bit of convincing on my part to get my chemistry teacher to relinquish the precious chemical now nestled snugly in the confines of my great pack, but after several long conversations which spanned from scientific persuasion, to teenage-style begging complete with tear-shinning puppy-dog eyes, to outright threats (That's right mr. Connel, I've seen that bottle of sake stashed in your desk drawer!), my mission was finnally successful.
So now, with a spring in my step, I made my way towards the village and my friends; armed with an interesting little surprise for one lucky member of the company.
All I had left to do to complete my little experiment was pour a small portion of the pheromone on the ground and make my observations. Not too difficult right?
As I approache Kaede's hut on the outskirts of the village, I heard a resonating slap echo through the air. I sighed. That Miroku, would he ever learn?
It was then when I was struck with an inspiration. Perhaps Miroku never learned his lesson because deep down he was a masochist and actually enjoyed the beatings Sango layed out on him. Aside from the fact that that thought was rather disturbing, it gave me an idea. What if it wasn't Sango that was the one to administer his punishment? What if it were someone else? Would he be so keen to go back for another grab of her backside if he thought the consequences involved….kukuku oh yeah I am so evil.
With that in mind I worked out a plan. It seems that this experiment isn't going to be solely for scientific gains after all.
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It was late in the afternoon before my plan finally was able to be set in motion. Our group had stopped for a rest (no thanks to one annoyingly persistant hanyou who shall remain unnamed due to the fact that he is currently plucking out a couple pounds worth of dirt from his haori and other places that will remain unmentioned). As expected, Miroku was focusing all of his attention on the graceful sways of Sango's backside as she sifted through the supplies in my pack to retrieve our afternoon meal. I couldn't help but smirk to myself; this was going to be too easy.
"You know Miroku," I whispered to him so that no one else could hear. "One of these days you are going to regret fondling Sango in such a manner."
"Why Lady Kagome," he feigned innocence. "You wound me. I would never be so brash as to 'fondle' a woman of Sango's calibre." I rolled my eyes. The argument was far from convincing, especially when he continued and his eyes took on a letcherous gleam. "Besides, how could one regret the feeling of perfection."
"It was just a warning monk. The next time you try to cop a feel, there may be repercussions." With that I left the monk to ponder what I said. His contenplation didn't last very long though, because as soon as he thought me out of sight, he was back to watching Sango's behind, a whistful smile on his lips.
That letch. I can't wait till he gets whats coming to him.
Not ten minuetes later, my watining had come to and end. I was ready for him to make his move, the small vial of potent pheomones clutched tightly in my hand. As the monk's cursed hand reached out and began to caress the mound of flesh that he found so irrisistable on Sango's backside, I reacted by flinging the vial straight at him. The delicate glass shattered when it hit the monk square in the chest. He blinked and stumbled back in confusion. Usually it was Sango's fist or Hiraikotsu that he had to avoid after one of his 'moments of unmonkly behavior', not flying glass objects.
As per usual, Sango wheeled around to give the monk his what for, but before she could even lift a hand, Kirara had sprung from the ground at her side and latched herself onto the front of the monk's robes. Both Sango and Miroku looked on in confusion as the little cat seemed to go haywire, rubbing itself in the folds of cloth, nipping and licking, and chewing the fabric, all while letting out the most contented purr they had ever heard coming from the small beast.
Eventually, Miroku snapped out of his daze and took hold of the cat. But when he tried to pry her away from himself, she began to growl viciously and latched to him with more vigor. Miroku panicked, this was not the type of attention that he wished to receive. He redoubled his efforts to detach the crazed cat from himself. Eventually, he was successful from ripping the little feline off of the front of his robes, and he, none too gently, hurled the cat away.
Being blessed with feline agility, Kirara gracefully turned in the air to right herself before she landed firmly on her feet. But she was none to pleased with the change in course. She released a furious hiss, and in a torrent of flames, unveiled her full form in all its glory. That tasty piece of meat wasn't going to get away from her now.
Kirara lept towards the unsuspecting monk, but her path was bloked by her mistress Sango. The demon slayer bore Hiraikotsu before her as a defensive shield, successfully stopping the crazed cat in its tracks.
Miroku, not knowing what was going on, but too intelligent to ignore that whatever had gotten in to the firecat had something to do with the glass vial which had shattered against his chest, wisely took the momentary reprieve to make his exit. He dashed away from his companions and made a B-line towards the trees.
Kirara was quick to evade Sango's block, and started after the fleeing monk in pursuit. As I watched her depart, I could actually see the drool flying out from her opened jaws. I couldn't take any more. I fell to the ground and allowed myself to be consumed with mirthful laughter.
From the corners of my squinted eyes I could see Sango and Inuyasha come over to me, but no matter what I did to try and contain it, my laughter would not die away. Somewhere that seemed far away I heard Sango's voice.
"Kagome, what's so funny? What just happened?"
I tried to answer her question, but due to my never-ending peels of laughter, what came out sounded something like, "I…he…and the cat…Letcher…deserved it…pher…mones…genius…it worked!"
By this time I was clutching to my sides in painful glee. I was laughing so hard that tears began flowing down my cheeks, but I didn't care. My experiment had worked! Youkai displayed the same reactions as modern animals when exposed to pheromones. And the lecherous monk had finally gotten his just deserts for his wayward ways. Let's see him try to cop a feel now!
When I had finally managed to rein in my torrents of laughter, I found that Inuyasha and Sango were staring at me with expressions that clearly displayed that they thought that two members of our little entourage had gone completely mad. I cleared my throat, sat up gracefully, and began to explain what had happened.
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It was dusk, and still Miroku and Kirara had yet to return. Inuyasha, Sango and I had started a small fire and seated ourselves comfortably around it to wait for their return. During the time that had passed in wait, I had explained that the catnip pheromone was like opium to cats (of course then I realized that they had no idea what opium was and was forced to elaborate). It makes them excited, happy, euphoric, but it also puts their senses into overdrive and will eventually burn them out. By now, Kirara was likely taking a peaceful cat-nap somewhere.
That left only Miroku. Sango had been quite worried about the monk, but I assured her that he was fine (which was probably the truth) and that he was most likely just taking his time making his way back to us. Thankfully, before Sango could persuade Inuyasha and myself into organizing a search party for the missing person, Miroku found his way back into the camp.
One look at him sent me back over the edge into outrageous giggles. Even Sango and Inuyasha were trying to contain their mirth. He was dripping wet, and his monk's robes were ripped to shreds, clinging to his body with only sparse lines of thread. And from head to toe he was covered in tiny, swollen red welts.
"Oh Miroku," I choked out between fits of laughter. "I'm so sorry!...I forgot…about…the Aphids!"
Apparently Miroku did not find the fact that thousands of tiny flies and mites had been attracted to the pheromone's scent and had latched themselves to his body as he pushed through the grassy fields on his way to the body of water where he could wash off whatever it was that he had been doused with, nearly as funny as I did. While I rolled on the ground squealing out my gleeful laughs, he sent me a threatening glare before he walked off away from the camp.
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And so ends Experiment #1. Stay tuned for the next installment: Alpha of the Pack.
A/N: In a way I suppose this is my own experiment. I usually don't write stories of this nature. I am much more inclined to write about serious situations. However, one day I was in the middle of a rant concerning the lack of reviews for one of my stories, and I came up with a few theories about what should be done to get people to review. I have used many of the theories that I concocted in the writing of this story. Now all I have to do is sit back and see if my assumptions can be proven correct. (Don't you just love science!)
Anyways, that's all for now; until next time
ShadowsWeaver1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters I am about to weave into my web of chaos. Any and all definitions have been taken directly from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia because I am far too lazy to do any further research to support my Inuyasha obsession.
