Experiment #3: Busy Little Bees

Honeybees have one of the most complex pheromonal communication systems found in nature, possessing 15 known glands that produce an array of compounds. The pheromones are chemical messengers secreted as a liquid and transmitted by direct contact as a liquid or as a vapor by a queen, drone, worker bee or laying worker bee that elicit a response in other bees. The chemical messages are received by the bee's antenna and other body parts. Honey bee pheromones can be grouped into releaser pheromones with short term effects and primer pheromones with long term effects.

Pheromones are NOT single chemicals, but rather a complex mixture of numerous chemicals in different percentages.

Alarm pheromone: is released by the Koschevnikov gland, near the sting shaft, and consists of more than 40 chemical compounds. These chemical compounds have low molecular weights, are highly volatile, and appear to be the least specific of all pheromones. Alarm pheromones are released when a bee stings another animal, and attract other bees to the location and causes the other bees to behave defensively, i.e. sting or charge. Smoke can mask the bees' alarm pheromone (hence why bee-hive workers are often seen carrying a can emitting smoke).

The Nasonov (alternatively, Nasanov) pheromone: is released by worker bees to orient returning forager bees back to the colony. A synthetically produced Nasonov pheromone can be used to attract a swarm to an unoccupied hive or a swarm-catching box.

Purpose: I intend to not only acquire further information on the effects of pheromones on youkai, but also to determine if in fact pheromones can produce a strong enough instinctual drive to manipulate a youkai into behavior they would normally not engage in. To do this I will employ first the Nasonov pheromone with which I will attempt to draw the Saimyoushou to a predetermined location. This will serve to further the proof that youkai are instinctually driven to comply with the signals sent by the pheromones. A side-effect to this, while not entirely scientific will prove incredibly useful, the insects will (hopefully) be pulled away from the position of our group. Secondly, I will be using an alarm pheromone to entice the Saimyoushou into attacking one of Naraku's minions or puppets (Either one would be fine. I'm not picky, especially since this is all in the name of science.). If the Saimyoushou react in the manner that the pheromone predicts, and not according to their mission, I will have succeeded in gathering proof that youkai can be influenced by pheromones so powerfully that they can be manipulated to go against their own wishes.

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"So are you sure this is going to work?" Inuyasha asked for what must have been the hundredth time (well maybe it was only the fifth or so, but it was incredibly annoying).

"No I'm not sure," I sighed. "That's why it's called an experiment. I have a theory of what I think will happen, but I can't be sure if that theory is correct until I test it."

"So what you're saying is that you plan on risking all of our lives because you have a theory. How stupid can you be! I mean I've heard of stupid plans before, but this one is by far the stupidest!"

Apparently Miroku recognized the death glare in my eyes and the tell-tale flames surrounding my enraged form and took it as a sign that Inuyasha was about to be put out of commission for a week with a broken back, so he wisely decided to step between the two of us and take his turn explaining the plan to Inuyasha.

I suppose it is a good thing, after all we are going to need the hanyou in the upcoming battle, but sometimes he just makes me so mad! You have no idea how good of a stress reliever it is to be able to say one word and watch the object of your ire be face-planted into the ground. Talk about therapy!

Anyways, while Miroku tries to make Inuyasha understand my brilliant plan (by the way, good luck with that one buddy!), I suppose I should explain what's going on.

After my incredibly informative (and terribly frightening, not to mention super gross) experiment involving Kouga and the wolf pheromones, I came to the conclusion that there were still many facets of the effects of pheromones on youkai that I still didn't know about. In response to that revelation, I decided to test out my theories on Naraku's poisonous insects, the Saimyoushou.

I went back to my time after we successfully obtained a jewel shard from a rather reluctant bear youkai. It was quite the battle, but in the end the bear was relieved of his jewel shard. Ok so he was blown to smithereens by the Wind Scar and I picked the shard up from a pile of bear goop on the ground (not something I recommend doing by the way), but we still got the shard so the trip was well worth it.

When I got home (again I'm going to have to pause to remind you that going home for me is always an interesting experience; interesting in the way that there is always a nosy, pushy, demanding, stubborn, jerk of a hanyou that seems to enjoy being 'sat' always hovering about the well). Anyways, when I got home, I went straight to my computer and began my research.

I discovered that pheromones are an intricate part of the hive lifestyle, and that bees used these chemicals to send a variety of messages, from physiological messages to stimulate or depress maturation and reproduction, to behavioral messages that range from a call home to attacks. I focused my studies on those behavioral aspects because these are not only the most easily observed, but they are also the most reasonable considering my current relationship with the youkai of interest in this experiment.

I also discovered, much to my relief; that the particular pheromones that I wanted to obtain were in regular use at my local honey farm. Of course the 'local honey farm' was a good half-hour drive away, but since the trip saved me from another confrontation with Mr. Collins, I was more than happy to make it.

That leads me to 'The plan'. Admittedly it took longer than I would have hoped for Naraku to show his ugly head (or really for Inuyasha to pick up his scent, but that's beside the point) than I would have liked. Not that I ever really enjoy our confrontations with Naraku and his minions, but this time I had a vested interest in the encounter.

After all, the pursuit of knowledge can not and must not be hindered by the fact that there may be uncomfortable situations to endure. We must all strive for betterment, and that is exactly what I am doing now. Well that and finally being the one to throw a wrench in Naraku's plans, but that is just a pleasant side-effect. Of course my main goal is the pursuit of knowledge, not the chance to laugh at the look on the face of Naraku (or his golem) when his own minions turn on him.

Anyways, back to 'The plan'. I decided that this particular experiment could prove to be very dangerous so, as you already know, I decided to enlighten my companions to what I would be doing and delegate out the different tasks involved. Yes delegate, this is my experiment after all so I am the lead scientist…not to mention the ALPHA so they have to do what I say or else...ahem…yes lead scientist so it is reasonable for me to divide out the tasks to my students.

Miroku, of course is the bait for the Saimyoushou. Sango and Kirara have been given the task of deploying the Nasonov pheromone to turn the Saimyoushou away from their target. Inuyasha will be busy keeping Naraku, or his golem, or his incarnation, or whatever else he has sent at us this time preoccupied with his special brand of taunting. And finally, I have the pivotal role of shooting the alarm pheromones at the unsuspecting creature using one of my arrows (I think it prudent to mention the fact that in retrospect to the…unusual flight paths of my arrows, I have acquired several vials of the particular pheromonal mixture).

Now that 'The plan' has been laid out it is time to return to the present.

There is a dark aura approaching. I'll give you one guess whose it is. Do I really need to tell you? Well for the newbies I suppose I can divulge just this once. Naraku. Of course I'm sure that no one really needed me to tell them this fact. I mean who else but that vile, plotting, scheming, manipulative, conniving, and so many other words that would suit that bastar…umm…creature so much better but which I must refrain from to spare my virgin ears; would produce such a heinously dark and oppressive aura?

Riding a hoard of snake-like beasts, Naraku, or should I say the golem of Naraku (that coward), descended from the sky and came towards us.

Aside from the creeping feeling of loathing and repulsion coursing through me, I am actually very excited for this particular encounter.

"Naraku, you bastard! What the hell do you want this time?" Ah, Inuyasha. I can always count on you to strike up a civil conversation.

"Inuyasha, how good it is to see you again. It is such a shame that this shall be our last meeting."

You know, no matter how many times I hear that smooth and deep, almost sexy (if of course it didn't belong to the most despicable creature I have ever met or had nightmares about) voice; I still can't help the shudder of fear that envelopes my body because of it. Right; back to Inuyasha.

"Yeah the last for you!" Inuyasha roared out as he pulled back his great fang and heaved the fury of the Wind Scar directly at the golem. Of course, being Naraku he just shielded himself with his stupid barrier and was left completely unharmed from the attack.

"Now, now Inuyasha," came the overly pleasant voice of Naraku. "Don't you even want to meet the newest addition to my family?"

"Feh, so you've got another one do you? Well bring it on bastard! I've destroyed all of your other pathetic incarnations; this one will be no different!"

Naraku narrowed his eyes "we shall see."

Suddenly, the golem melted away, and the pelt it had been wearing fell in a heap. But from beneath the abandoned robe, a dark cloud started seeping out. I could tell that this wasn't the usual miasma used by Naraku. No, this was something entirely different.

The dark mist leaked through the air around us, surrounding everything in its wake, covering the world in a curtain of blackness. I could hear the serpent demons on the other side of the dark cloud hissing loudly as they slithered around in the darkness.

Then, out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time, came the voice. Like a whisper against my skin, I could feel the resonating of the cloud around us as the voice was carried through it. No, it wasn't being carried through the fog, it was a part of it, it was the dark mist speaking.

"You have met my sisters of the wind and the void, now you will face what is faceless, see what is hardly seen, become lost in the mists of I; Kasumi."

Miroku stepped forward. "Mist is too light; it shall always be removed from the land by the winds." With that he released the Wind Tunnel. Kasumi hissed and pulled back quickly from the draw of the void, in his place leaving behind a swarm of Saimyoushou.

Sango was quick to catch her signal to jump into action. She mounted Kirara and the two took to the sky in an instant. When she was level with the swarm, she threw the vial of Nasonov pheromone in the direction opposite that the new incarnation had retreated. When the vial shattered upon impact with the ground, the Saimyoushou stopped their forward movement immediately. A momentary pause was then followed by a sharp change in course directly towards the pheromonal bait.

On the ground below, Miroku was now free to deliver the hoard of serpentine youkai into the vast nothingness of his cursed hand; and Inuyasha was busy doing what Inuyasha does best: charging headlong towards the most powerful opponent on the field.

I watched from a distance in a ready stance; my bowstring drawn tight and firm in my grasp and armed with an arrow complete with a pheromone-filled glass arrowhead.

The mist surged forward towards Inuyasha, surrounding him in its depths of murky darkness. But Inuyasha was never one to sit still very long, and in moments the mist was scattered by a blast from Tetsusaiga. When the thing covering him was gone, I could see Inuyasha again. What I saw made me gasp in horror. His body was covered in wounds, ranging from light scratches to deep gouges, and all of them bleeding. The blood was actually dripping off of him. Of course, Inuyasha is far too stubborn to acknowledge the fact that he is injured, especially in a fight; so that left me to worry about his condition.

I wasn't given much time to worry though, because I caught sight of the mist demon collecting itself, apparently preparing for another attack. Well I am not about to let that thing do…whatever it just did again! I aimed my arrow, and fired.

To my extreme surprise, I actually hit the mark. Or to be more specific, I hit the barrier that the thing had projected to stop my arrow. Well wasn't that just a stupid move on Kasumi's behalf. If he had let the arrow pass through him (he is only made of mist after all) then he might have ended up missing a few large portions of his body, or his whatever, to the purification abilities of the arrow; but the glass arrowhead would not have shattered.

Again the Saimyoushou responded immediately to the lure of the pheromones. They took on an aggressive formation and flew directly at Kasumi. Being Naraku's own, the insects had no problem crossing the barrier, and once they were inside they began to thrust their stingers wildly into the mist.

I know it seems impossible, even I have no idea how they did it, but somehow some of the Saimyoushou managed to insert their stingers into the diluted form of the mist youkai. Like all beings susceptible to the Saimyoushou poison, Kasumi began to quickly loose strength; and as his strength faded, his form became more and more solid. Soon where once there had only been mist, a blackened, withered, and hunched humanoid (I think the human part might be a bit of a stretch here, I mean the thing is hideous!) creature remained.

Inuyasha didn't need any additional encouragement. Once again he brought up the great fang and slashed through the scars of the wind to unleash his powerful attack. Kasumi's eyes widened in shock and horror as the blast approached, but he was too weak to move away from it or to defend against it. He released a defining roar of lost hope just before he was consumed and obliterated.

"Well I'll be damned," Inuyasha said as he casually swung Tetsusaiga over his shoulder and turned away from the dusted creature to face me. "That stupid plan of yours actually worked."

Thank you Inuyasha, thank you so very much. Killjoy!

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Kasumi: This word actually does mean 'mist' according to the online English/Japanese dictionary. It is also just what I was looking for because it begins with 'Ka' just like Kagura and Kanna; very fitting.

Miasma: are you aware that the definition for this word is 'low lying poisonous cloud' and it is derived from a theory involving the transfer of disease in humans (a theory conceived long after feudal era times I might add)? It was once believed that disease was caused by this cloud, leaving people living closer to sea lever more vulnerable to illness; however, the theory was disproved with the discovery of the role of microorganisms in human diseases. At that time this theory was incorrect, making the word obsolete. But don't you think it funny that this word could have such significance now? Just think about all of those 'low-lying poisonous clouds' hanging over our cities in the form of smog and pollution.

The thought for the day, courtesy of your author

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 (with the exception of the one on Miasma; that was all me thank you very much) 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.

Next time: Experiment #4 Part I: Boys will be Boys which will soon be followed by Part II: and Dogs will be Dogs (Have I mentioned that this is a Sess/Kag fic? Hmmm I wonder how he will be drawn in to this pheromonal experiment…)