Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.
Psyche's Folly: The Test
It was morning, but she could still feel his arm around her waist, the memory of his touch like a pleasant weight on her skin. The dream had come for her again just like she had known it would; just like she had told Sango it would; just like it had for the past four months. But this morning would be different than the others. This morning she would discover the truth: if what she had been experiencing was nothing more than a product of an overly fertile imagination or a cleverly concealed tryst based in reality. The answer sat awaiting her just inside the shallow pocket at her waist.
Her fingers itched to slip into the small fold of fabric, and yet she hesitated. Did she really want to know which it was? Did she really want to know if the deep voice and teasing touch she had come to crave was all in her head? That the whispered 'I love you' in the dark had been nothing but a wish? And what if they weren't? What if the words, the caresses, the feelings were all real? Her mind raced with the thought, what if 'he' was real?
Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Kagome released the mental hold she had on her wrist and let her hand reach for the answers. Her breath caught as her fingers closed around something she wasn't sure was real. Her skin still prickled with memories. She needed to see it in the light to be sure. Pulling her clenched fist carefully from her pocket, she found herself staring at her proof. He was real.