A/N: Just a bit of sweet fluff I'd forgotten about. You may want a glass of water after this.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al.

I Told You So

Kagome looked dubiously at her mother while she ate breakfast. "You're going to make everyone cookies?" she asked, picturing the free-for-all that would happen when the guys got wind of her mother's baking.

"Of course, they deserve a little treat."

"You know I don't want Shippou to have a lot of sugar. He gets way too hyper sometimes. And Inuyasha's a dog demon; I don't think he can have chocolate without getting sick."

"Don't worry, dear, I have something special planned for your boyfriend. Hurry up and eat now, Kagome, you don't want to be late for school." Mama smiled softly, humming to herself as she got out the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies. She pretended to ignore the flushed cheeks that had appeared on the young miko at the mention of the word "boyfriend." She knew their relationship hadn't progressed that far yet but there was always hope. And despite his blustering, the reason Inuyasha always came early to get her daughter was because he missed her, not because they had to hunt Naraku.

"Yes, Mama. I just don't know how many characteristics dog demons share with domesticated dogs. This would not be a good way to find out."

"Of course not, dear," Mama agreed, setting out the eggs to come to room temperature and picking up her purse. "I'll walk with you to the store. I have some organic peanut butter waiting for me. I ordered it especially for Inuyasha."

The two Higurashi women went out the door and down the shrine stairs, waving to Gramps as they went by. The old priest returned the gesture before going back to work sweeping the courtyard. "You're going to make him his own kind of cookie, aren't you?"

"Why not? It's not his fault he's probably deathly allergic to chocolate. I've been searching for something special to give him anyway. He deserves to be spoiled a bit."

"Yes, he does…" Kagome smiled softly, thinking of the hanyou and all he'd gone through in his life. "Just don't let him have chocolate. And be careful because he'll sneak a taste if he thinks he can get away with it."

"Everything will be fine," Mama reassured. She had plenty of experience dealing with stubborn males. And lately she'd gotten plenty when dealing with dog demons. Smiling again, she greeted Yuki, Eri, and Ayumi when they came upon them at the corner and waved the girls on as they went to school. Going into the store, she picked up the peanut butter and went home. Mama figured she had until about noon before the half demon showed up. Hopefully she could have all of the chocolate chip cookies done before then and put away. If temptation was out of the way, Inuyasha was less likely to get into them. Of course, with his nose, the best place for them would be the refrigerator. Mama giggled at the thought of the cute boy with the even cuter ears sniffing out the cookies in his adorable way.

Standing at the counter, Mama put the recipe together almost from memory and was busy making several dozen throughout the morning. Once the last batch was in the oven, she put the bowl to soak, and prepared to begin making the peanut butter cookies. A noise from upstairs let her know that Inuyasha had arrived looking for her daughter and she couldn't help the smile that came to her face when he padded into the kitchen.

"I wouldn't eat those, dear," she said, not needing to look to know that he'd sniffed at the chocolate chip cookies still cooling on the table.

Inuyasha straightened in surprise, wondering how she'd known he was even here. Then again, his own mother had known when he was going to sneak food too so it really wasn't a wonder that another mother was able to do the same. "Good afternoon, Higurashi-san. Kagome still in school?"

"Yes, dear. I was just about to begin lunch. Are you hungry, Inuyasha-kun?"

The half dog demon looked at his miko's mother and nodded wordlessly. She gave him a big smile, pleased as usual that she got to feed him when he was here. At least he got one decent meal. Mama didn't like it that they ate ramen all the time and knew Inuyasha hunted for them when the supplies ran out, she just wished they were able to eat more balanced meals regularly.

"Good. I have to run upstairs for a minute. When the timer rings, could you take out the cookie sheet from the oven? Just be careful, it's going to be hot."

"Sure," he said agreeably. Kagome never let him near the stove if it could be helped. He sat at the table while she was gone, wondering why she had told him not to eat the cookies there. Just by their scent he could tell that they weren't overly hot anymore. Maybe they were for a neighbor or Souta's school.

A sharp ding had his ears lying back in distress and he went to the stove and took out the cookie sheet. Laying it atop the burners, he gently turned the modern oven off, careful not to turn the dial too hard. Proud of his accomplishment, he wandered over to the counter to check out what she had put out there and found ingredients for another kind of confection. Giving the items a sniff, he found himself intrigued by the peanut butter. It was something Kagome had never brought to them in the past and he wondered if she could be convinced to bring some along.

"There you are, dear. Thank you for taking them out. They don't make very appetizing treats if they're burnt. Would you go get Father while I make lunch? I think he's talking to someone at the shrine so don't forget your hat."

"Yeah, sure."

"I appreciate it, Inuyasha-kun." Mama smiled and watched him leave the room. Once he was out of sight, she quickly put away the cookies on the table, amazed at his fortitude. With such tempting offerings, she would have thought he'd sneak at least one. Leaving the still hot tray on the burners, she made up lunch and set the table while waiting for the half demon to return with her father-in-law.

Lunch passed quietly on everyone's part except for the elder priest. He was once again regaling them about stories in the past, apparently unconcerned, or uncaring that Inuyasha could have corrected him at any point and would have been completely justified in doing so because he was from the Feudal Era and knew the conditions there better than the old man.

Mama pretended not to notice when he yawned and mumbled something about going to rest in the Goshinboku. She nodded absent mindedly, telling him she'd give him a shout when it was almost time for Kagome to be home from school. Going back to her baking, the Higurashi matriarch took out the recipe for the peanut butter cookies and shooed her husband's father away from the cookies on the stove.

"You can have any that are left over after I pack them up. Go on back to the shrine, Father. I need to make these for Inuyasha."

"I don't see why he gets his own batch."

"Because he can't have chocolate. And he deserves something special. I want to spoil him a bit," she answered, seeing the swatch of red in the sakura tree's branches. She hoped he took a good nap and was well rested by the time they went back.

With her father-in-law out of the way, Mama went to work mixing the dough and setting the oven on the correct temperature. She wasn't too surprised when a couple of hours passed before Inuyasha's nose got wind of the baking cookies and drew him out of the slumber he was in. Curiosity was finally taking hold and he wandered back in to sit at the table and watch what she was doing.

Picking up a warm cookie, she poured a glass of soy milk and placed them in front of him silently. "What do you think?" she asked, watching as his eyes grew round at the scent.

Inuyasha took a bite, his eyes rolling backwards at the taste. He consumed the treat quickly, washing it down with the odd milk. "It's good," he said, trying not to let on how much he liked the peanut butter flavor. He was really going to have to get Kagome to bring some back.

"I'm glad you like them. I've made them especially for you, Inuyasha-kun. We don't know how similar dog demons are to domesticated dogs so there's a good chance chocolate is poisonous to you. I wanted to do something for you and I thought this might be a good idea. Have as many as you like, just don't spoil your dinner, dear." She patted his shoulder and left to finish the rest of the batch. His gold eyes had gotten round at her words and his cheeks were flushed. It had certainly been a long time since anyone besides his new friends had been concerned about his health and wellbeing.

"Thanks," he managed to get out passed the lump in his throat. Kagome's mother was a wonder he'd never understand but at least he knew where Kagome's ability to understand and her kindness came from. Her temper was still a mystery because as far as he could tell, Mama had never once lost her temper no matter what damage he had done or how many times Kagome had come back injured or crying.

The half demon consumed half a dozen peanut butter cookies before he picked up a chocolate chip to test Mama's theory. Kagome always cringed whenever he got ahold of Shippou's chocolate covered pocky before sitting him without giving him a chance to give the treat back to the runt. Now he understood her panic but wasn't as convinced as the two women that he was in any danger.

A half hour later when he was clutching his stomach and moaning, he thought differently. Mama had scolded him until he had almost thrown up on her before sighing and putting him to bed in Kagome's room. "I did tell you," she said again, stroking his hair and wiping the sweat from his face. "Next time, Inuyasha-kun, will you listen to me?"

"Aa…" he grunted, wanting the pounding in his head to stop. Next time he saw chocolate, he'd stay far, far away from the stuff.

"I should have known you couldn't resist. Kagome's going to yell at both of us when she gets home. I was under strict instructions to not let you have any. She has such the temper, you know. Gets it from her father."

"Mystery…" he started to say but trailed off on a groan.

"What was that, dear?" Mama placed the damp cloth on his forehead.

"Mystery solved," he managed finally. "Wondered…"

"I'm sure you did," Mama said, a laugh in her voice. "I think you would have liked my husband though. He was much more accepting than Father of strange things. I'm not sure how he would have reacted to the hole you put in the kitchen that one time but accidents happen."

"Did he have spiritual powers too?"

"You know, I don't know. He never said but then we didn't know Kagome did either until she met you. Perhaps he did and we never knew it because demons never tried to harm anyone here. It's odd, isn't Inuyasha-kun that no youkai have tried to attack the shrine since the Noh Mask incident?"

"Not a lot of demons left in this era. None powerful enough to get the better of Kagome. At least, there isn't any that want to harm her or her family." He'd often wondered about that and sometimes he thought that maybe there weren't many left because the nature they'd thrived on had been reduced so much. Demons with heightened senses would not have liked living in crowded cities. If his brother still lived in this era, which was entirely possible, the jerk was no doubt far from the congestion of Tokyo.

"Ah well, it's something to think about, anyway. How are you feeling?" Mama dipped the cloth into the bowl of water on Kagome's bedside table again and stroked his faced.

"I'll live. Chocolate's got nothing on Sesshoumaru's poison."

"So Kagome tells me." Rising, she picked up the bowl and adjusted the covers over his prone form. "Will you be all right here for a few minutes? I'm going to go find something that'll help settle your stomach."

"Yeah, sure." He dozed while she was gone, letting Kagome's scent sooth him. Inuyasha wouldn't be surprised if the priestess lectured him until dawn about not eating chocolate. Maybe the gods would smile on him and his fast healing ability would cure him of this ailment before she got home. He took the medicine Mama brought him gratefully, going back to sleep after she left. At least he was no longer sweating.

Shifting shadows on the wall alerted him to the fact that he had slept longer than intended when he next woke. He still felt like he'd been run over by a very large bolder and had gone a round with his brother just to add insult to injury. His stomach still churned and his head ached but the medicine to settle his stomach seemed to have at least stopped the desire to up chuck. Unfortunately, there was no medicine in existence in the Sengoku Jidai or the Modern Era that could prevent an angry and concerned miko from her self-appointed task.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, coming into her room quickly and dropping her book bag onto the floor. She came to a halt at the foot of her bed, watching him struggle to sit up. "Mama said you ate some chocolate chip cookies. I told her not to let you have any chocolate. I was afraid this would happen."

"She told me I might get sick but I didn't think I had anything to worry about. Still, Sesshoumaru's poison is worse."

"You stubborn dog demon." Mildly startled that she wasn't ranting about his pig headed nature; Inuyasha counted himself lucky and flopped back on the bed. He probably looked too sick to scold at the moment. He wondered if he could milk the situation until the morning.

"Keh," he said quietly, hoping she'd think he wasn't up to his normal scoffing.

"Stay there; I'll go get the medicine Mama's been giving you. Do you think you could drink some mint tea? That might help your stomach too."

"Probably." On his back, he watched the ceiling while she was gone. He heard her speak to her mother and grandfather before returning.

"Mama will bring some tea. What made you try the other cookies? I was pretty sure you'd like peanut butter. It's a little bland for me but you seem to be able to taste the subtle flavors of things better than I can."

"I was curious. You always panicked when I took Shippou's pocky."

"That's because I was afraid this would happen," Kagome huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He moved over so that she would have more room and prepared himself for the lecture that was evidently going to happen whether he was well enough to hear it or not. "Honestly, Inuyasha, if I tell you not to eat something it's because I'm either saving it for something, I know you won't like it or because I'm afraid it'll make you sick. Let's face it; even if we asked Sesshoumaru about the similarities between regular dogs and dog demons and he gave us a complete answer, there are some things in this time that weren't known about in the Feudal Era. Although, I guess if it's bad for dogs, we can safely assume now that it's bad for dog demons too."

An ear twitched, letting the priestess know he was grudgingly listening. Kagome had his reluctant undivided attention and she was going to make the best of it. She knew that if he was truly feeling better, she wouldn't have the opportunity to read him the riot act. A knock on her door forestalled any further lecturing and she waited until he'd taken several sips of the mint tea her mother had brought before saying anything more.

"Please, Inuyasha?" she asked, hoping a reconciliatory tone would get her further than yelling at him. "I don't want anything to happen to you while you're here in my time or from anything I bring back with me. It's safer for you here on your human night without a doubt but I don't know what would happen to you if someone outside of our family found out you were half demon. There aren't a lot of people outside of shrine and temple families that believe in youkai anymore."

"Nothing's going to happen to me, wench." Inuyasha sat up again, the mint settling his stomach faster than the medicine. He reached out and brushed away the tear that had begun to slide down her cheek. "I'll be coming to get you every time you're late coming home for the rest of your life."

"According to you, I'm always late." Kagome giggled, liking the sound of him coming to get her for the rest of her life. It made it sound like he wanted her around for the rest of his life too.

"Now you understand." Feeling better, Inuyasha motioned for her to get up so that he could stand.

"Maybe you shouldn't get up so soon," Kagome worried, her grey-blue eyes softening.

"I'm fine, wench. A little chocolate is nothing to worry about." Inuyasha went to pull on his haori when a sickeningly sweet smell hit his nose. He blanched when Souta burst in holding a chocolate chip cookie.

"Hiya, nii-chan. Mama said you got sick eating chocolate. Too bad cause they're really good." The young boy rushed out, his sugar quotient obvious already having been reached.

Inuyasha reluctantly laid back down, his face white and pasty. "Go ahead and say it. I know you want to."

"Say what?" Kagome asked innocently, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"You know what, wench. Just as long as the pervert doesn't get wind of this." The half demon drank more of the tea and glared at the young woman standing over him. She leaned over him to check his temperature and he wondered if he should tell her he could see down her shirt. She was dying to tell him that she'd warned him not to get up so soon. Kagome pretended to think about it for a moment and then grinned knowingly at her hanyou.

"I told you so."