When she first met Asakura Yoh, he made a promise to her. From there, the promises multiplied but fulfilling them was, unfortunately, not exactly Yoh's strongest point.
He promised her that he would be the Shaman King. He went ahead and gave the title to his murderous twin brother, leaving the future of humanity in a precarious balance. Granted, Asakura Hao was a powerful shaman and what Yoh did to prolong the humans' lives was a feat itself, but still…
Then, he said he would give her an easy life - a life free from worries. Years later, she found herself to be the new Shaman King's little helper, roaming the ends of the world under the whim of one newly-instated god to spread the word of love and peace, or else face the mighty wrath of said god.
Even now she found herself at the mercy of the new Shaman King still, whose demands seemed to pile up as the days dragged on. Worse was that Anna couldn't seem to find the solution to their problems just yet, and it plagued her mind to even think of how many more years of her life she would have to spend being this idiot of a god's servant.
It was exhausting work. She was spent.
And the fatigue must have been too obvious, because Yoh held her hand that one afternoon and promised her that he would find a good place for them to rest.
Hours later he came back, with a triumphant grin but also an apology because while he did manage to find a place for them to settle for the night, it wasn't exactly what one would call... Homely.
In fact, it was a run-down motel, cheap from the looks of it and infested with roaches and moths and the occasional criminal of a neighbor. Anna even saw a rat the size of a kitten scramble at the sight of them before squeezing itself inside a crack that she was sure led to one of the rooms that the motel offered.
She shuddered but kept her mouth shut. Now wasn't the time to be picky.
So shady of a place it was that before they entered to get a room, Yoh had covered the whole of her face with a cloth, claiming that, "These guys can get very handsy with beautiful women. I won't let them bother you."
When she pointed out that she could take care of herself very well, thank you very much, his grin widened and he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"That's what I'm most afraid of, Anna. You'll get them killed."
Anna harrumphed although she did let him wrap the cloth around her features. For added measure, he also pulled the hood of her cloak to her head, to hide her beautiful golden mane. But when Yoh suggested she change her clothes too, that was where Anna had drawn the line.
She slapped him. He understood completely.
The transaction to getting a room was fast - it looked like the old geezer manning the front desk was all too eager to get their coins. Yoh did all the talking, of course, while Anna stood behind him, her head bowed low.
The room they had gotten was, as Anna feared, tiny with only a single bed pushed to the side and a table as furniture. The creamy paint on the wall was peeling off, there were webs on the corners of the ceiling, and the window had a crack that eerily looked like a bullet hole.
It was a mess, but it was either this or camp out once again. It was a no-brainer.
All that Anna could do was sigh.
At least they had a functional shower. And they could share the bed, like always. Or maybe she'd make him sleep on the floor this time, as punishment.
The idea sounded appealing to her initially, but by the time she finished her shower, she had decided that they were going to sleep in the bed together. After all, it had been a long while since they've slept in a bed and it was all thanks to him for finding this place, despite its shabbiness.
Besides, Yoh had already taken his place on the bed, scooting so far on his side so he could make room for her. When he spotted Anna, he patted the empty space beside him invitingly.
Anna felt her heart skip a beat.
Slowly she claimed the space next to him, her back to his chest. He automatically looped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
She felt his fingers card through her scalp before tucking the stubborn strands of her hair to the side so he could kiss the exposed skin of her shoulder. Anna relaxed against his touch, and this was all the invitation he needed to further his adoration.
Slowly, she faced him, catching his lips with her own. He was quick to reciprocate her affections, a hand sliding its way from her thigh to her hips, pulling her dress up as he went. In return, she looped her leg against his waist, exposing more of her skin for his greedy hand to feel.
He was about to reach the band of her underwear and pull it off when a cough interrupted them.
They stopped, turned their heads to find Yoh's older twin brother and present Shaman King hovering above their bed, a smirk on his face.
"Not a good idea." He taunted, still smirking.
In response, Anna aimed at him with the first thing that she could grab - in this case, a pillow. It went through him like air passing through a net. The Shaman King looked amused, instantly spiking Anna's ire.
Yoh groaned, holding Anna close to him as she grumbled too loudly for his ears.
"What is it now, nii-chan?" He groused, placing a kiss on his wife's forehead to placate her. She continued to glare though.
"Just a friendly reminder that Anna is fertile this week. So unless you two are planning a child..."
The current Shaman King trailed off and let the silence do the talking. Simultaneously, Yoh sighed and Anna muttered something rude, to which Hao laughed before saying his salutations. He was gone in a flash, leaving Yoh and Anna to mull over what he announced. The silence stretched on, until Yoh broke it with a heavy exhale.
"Maybe next time." He vowed, sealing it with a kiss. "When this is all over, next time..."
Anna nodded, burying her nose against his chest.
A beat, before Yoh buried his nose against her hair.
"Happy Anniversary, Anna."
Anna blinked, nodding. She placed a kiss on his collarbone.
"Happy Anniversary, Yoh."
Mentally, she added another broken promise to her growing collection.
It's the OTP's wedding anniversary... WHICH MEANS IT'S TIME FOR SOME ANGST.