Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.
AN: Just a collection of short stories about Yoh and Anna. Beware of the fluff!
The Five Times Manta Knew that Yoh and Anna Were in Love
Prologue:
Ever since he had first come to know them, there was always a nagging question in the back of his mind that Manta could never confidently answer: Were Yoh and Anna truly in love?
There was no doubt in his mind that they were close though Asakura Yoh, lazy but friendly, and Kyoyama Anna, apathetic and rather merciless, were polar opposites. They had no shame in declaring that they were engaged- Anna even declaring several times, in her usual indifferent tone, that she loved him- and they got along well enough. That, however, was exactly what confused him to no end. Being in an arranged union, Manta just assumed that the two merely accepted the wishes of the Asakura family and decided to play the part dutifully, even going so far as to say that they loved the other (in Anna's case anyway); it was, after all, normal for arranged marriages to have no real affection between the two partners, or so he had read from one source or another. The more he thought of that question, it baffled him all the more. "How could Yoh, whose life's goal was to live a care-free relaxed life, bear to suffer through Anna's continuous maltreatment?" He thought constantly, never quite reaching a definite answer.
It was obvious that they cared for each other, what with each of them constantly worrying over the other's well being. To Manta, they acted more like friends than lovers; kind of like the violent friendship that existed between Ren and Horo-Horo except more traumatizing in nature. A more accurate description of their relationship, in Manta's opinion, was that of a master and her slave. There didn't seem to be any indication of any deeper intimacies in their relationship (Manta didn't consider Anna's jealous tendencies since he figured that this was solely due to the fact that Yoh being with another woman would ruin Anna's dream of being the Shaman King's wife or the wealthy owner of the Funabari Inn) yet, they continue to remain together as fiancés.
As he prided his large knowledge, owing to his indulgence in reading, Manta was determined to discover the truth of his friends' relationship once and for all.