Title: Layfon-sama! - Heroic Lover

Summary: (See my profile) It's been 8 years since they've met - and they're about to meet again. Unexpectedly, of course. Imagine the hilarity of a girl trying to tell Layfon how she feels about him... without saying it outright. Is it possible...? No, probably not. Doesn't mean she doesn't still try, though. A continuation of "My Name is Eko-Chan!" Takes place after both that story, "This Ain't My Heaven's Blade, Brat", and "My Master" - please read those three before this one :) (btw, Eko is 19, and Layfon is 23 - just thought you'd want to know ;] )

Notes: This is the main story to a couple of the oneshots I made recently.

Here's a timeline (since a lot of you are probably confused... ^^;;). This is the order of the oneshots and stuff that come before my new story. Here ya go:

First: "My Name is Eko-Chan!"

Second: "This Ain't My Heaven's Blade, Brat"

Third: "My Master"

Fourth: "Layfon-Sama!" (main story)

Go read the other oneshots before this one – they're a sort of set up for this story.

Oh, and I don't get a lot of this stuff from just the Missing Mail manga – I get it from the other manga and the light novels as well... and the anime, now that I think about it.

Well, Enjoy! :)

"So? Why'd you turn down the guy this time, Eko-ch – I mean, Eko?" Melissa hurriedly corrected herself upon seeing the annoyed look on her friend's face. She breathed a sigh of relief when Eko smiled again.

"Because, for one thing, he's not my type, and for another thing, like I've told you before, I already have someone. I don't need anyone other than him," said Eko happily, her eyes going dreamy-like. She turned a corner, and...

"Oof!"

She bumped into someone, and fell backwards, before she was quickly grabbed by the hand and pulled up before she could hit the ground. She blinked, and looked down. Her stuff was all over the ground, having fallen out of her bag when she dropped it.

"Are you alright?"

That voice.. It couldn't be. It couldn't be! Could it...? Slowly, she looked up, and...

"Layfon...?"

"Eh? Eko-chan?"

"Layfon! It is you! Hey, hey, what are you doing here? You never told me you were coming here! You should have said something!" Eko pouted a bit, before smiling really wide up at him. She noticed that he looked different – really different. He had cut his hair, so it was much shorter than how she remembered it. He was also taller, and his face was slightly longer, making it look more mature, grown-up like... but what she really noticed was the tattoo on his face. It made him look so cool...

His voice brought her back to reality. "Um, Eko-chan...? Shouldn't we pick your things up first...?"

She blinked, and looked down. "Oh. You're right."

She bent down and picked up her stuff and started putting it in her bag. She looked over to see that Layfon was helping her. She smiled to herself. They quickly managed to pick it all up, and Eko put it all into her bag.

"Hey, um, Eko... Who is this person?" Melissa's voice came from her other side, and Eko suddenly remembered that her friend was there.

"Oh, sorry, sorry – Melissa, this is Layfon-sama! And Layfon-sama, this is Melissa – she's a friend of mine from school," Eko introduced. Melissa raised her eyebrow at the title that Eko gave to this man she had never seen before.

Layfon merely looked amused. "Layfon... sama, is it?"

"Yup! Layfon-sama!" Eko proclaimed proudly. Layfon smiled, his eyes dancing in laughter. Melissa caught her breath on seeing those eyes – they were so expressive... just who on earth was this man? And what exactly was he to Eko...?

"So, Layfon-sama – what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming to Laiten at all..." Eko pouted a bit at not being told by Layfon that he was coming there.

Layfon laughed a bit. "I didn't know myself, Eko – I'm just sort of passing through. My roaming bus came here while I was wandering around a bit – I didn't expect to meet Eko-chan here, though. Can't say I'm disappointed, though – it's good to see you again," Layfon said, smiling warmly. Eko's eyes sparkled.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Eko asked. Melissa watched the two of them with raised eyebrows. What is up with this? They've completely forgotten I'm here!

"How about we talk about this over some ice cream? There's a place that sells it that I passed by just a little while ago... Nee, Melissa-san, would you like to come? It's my treat," Layfon turned to the girl, surprising her.

Without thinking, she shook her head. "Sorry – I've got to get home. I have a lot to do today."

"I see – well, do you want any, Eko-chan?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then! Bye Melissa-san – be careful on your way home, please." Layfon bowed to her, and gave her a somewhat apologetic smile – probably for not being able to walk me home, or something, Melissa thought – before he was suddenly pulled along (without much resistance) after Eko, who was talking excitedly. Just before she turned, she saw Layfon wave at her. She wave back, and started walking home.

She was deep in thought when she opened the door to her house, and her mind was focused on just one thing – just who was that man?

-x-x-

"Well, Eko-chan – I suppose I'll see you later?"

Layfon stood beside Eko in front of the girl's house. Just before Eko could answer, however, the door to the house opened, and a woman walked out. She glanced over at Layfon suspiciously, before asking Eko, "Eko, who is this young man?"

"Oh, hey Mom! This is my mother, Layfon-sama – Mom, this person is Layfon. Remember when I was kidnapped that one time? He was the one who found me, and took care of me," Eko said cheerfully. Her mother's eyes widened, and she quickly turned to look Layfon up and down – before she bowed deeply.

"I beg your pardon for being suspicious – I had no idea that you were my little girl's savior."

"Please, don't worry about it – it's only natural after what happened to her for you to be protective, right? And, well, I suppose anybody, especially someone who looks like me, who showed up at your house with your daughter should be suspected of being someone dangerous..." Layfon waved her apologies off, smiling in apology himself, and bowing to the lady as well.

The woman looked surprised, before she smiled. "Well, would you like to come inside? I can make a cup of tea."

"Well, I don't want to intrude or anything..."

"Oh no – it's the least I can do for the person whose responsible for bringing our daughter back to us." She beckoned him in, and so he walked after her, taking his shoes off at the door.

"Pardon the intrusion," he said quietly. The woman smiled, and showed him to what was obviously the living room.

"Please, sit wherever you like – I'll go make some tea. Oh! That reminds me – I have some biscuits cooking. Would you like some?"

"If it's not too much trouble, then yes, thank you." Layfon sat down in the middle of a couch opposite the door – only to have Eko sit down next to him, forcing him to scoot over, so she could sit down comfortably.

A few minutes later, the woman came in with a tray holding the tea, cups, and a plate of biscuits fresh from the oven, with a knife and butter and jam beside it. She set it down, and was just about to sit down herself, when a man came in.

The man was big, but not heavy. He had a bit of a goatee, and walked with purpose. He was wearing casual clothes, and no shoes. He looked a little bit like Eko, actually.

He immediately noticed Layfon, and his mouth twisted into a slight frown as his eyebrows furrowed together. He glanced at his wife, and asked, "Who is this young lad, Lukia?"

"This is Layfon..." She glanced over at him, not knowing what his last name was.

"Alseif, ma'am. My name is Layfon Alseif." Layfon smiled a bit. She smiled back, before returning to her husband.

"This is Layfon Alseif – he is the one who took care of our daughter when she was kidnapped, and who sent her back to us, safe and sound." The man raised his eyebrows, before looking at Layfon again. After a couple of moments, he bowed to Layfon.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing our little girl back to us. Truly, thank you," the man said.

Layfon set his tea and biscuit down carefully, before getting back up and bowing deeply to the man himself – deeper than the man bowed to him.

"Your welcome – really, it was nothing, so there's no reason to bow to someone like me. Thank you both, however, for the warm welcome – it's been a long time since I've been welcomed into a house with such hospitality. Really, thank you." Layfon bowed again. He waited for the man, Eko's father, to sit down, before returning to his seat himself.

"Don't mention it, Alseif-san," the mother said, smiling at Layfon's politeness.

"Layfon is fine – that's what everyone else calls me, after all," Layfon said, with a slight chuckle and a smile.

"Very well, Layfon-san," the woman said. "By the way, what are you doing here in the Regios City Laiten?"

"Well, actually –" Layfon began...

...Only to be cut off by Eko, who proclaimed excitedly, "He's been traveling around on his personal roaming bus, and happened to come here – he says he's just passing through." Eko grinned, before she realized what she did, and looked down in embarrassment.

Suddenly, she heard quiet laughter. She looked up in confusion, and saw Layfon quietly chuckling behind his hand. She looked at him in surprise and slight confusion.

"I beg your pardon – it's been so long since someone treated me so familiarly that I'm not used to it anymore. Don't worry about it, Eko-chan – you're not the only one who does that kind of thing to me," Layfon said with mirth. He looked at Eko with a smile, before noticing the somewhat surprised but happy expressions on the faces of Eko's parents. He picked up his tea and took a sip, to hide is sudden self-consciousness.

He finished the tea, and slowly stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, once again, but unfortunately, I've got to get going – I have to get my dite as well as myself registered with the City Police, so I don't get arrested for holding illegal weapons, or anything," Layfon said, bowing to everyone.

The mother smiled and stood up. She beckoned Layfon to follow, and showed him to the door. Layfon put his shoes back on, and walked out, pausing at the gate to bow to the lady once again, and wave. "Please tell Eko-chan that I'll see her later!" He called out, before walking away.

The lady smiled, and closed the door. She walked back to the living room, and sat back down next to her husband. Eko had apparently gone back to her room, so the both of them were free to talk.

"That man... he really was very polite. And not only that, but there was something about him that just gave me the feeling that said "this person is trustworthy – no doubt"... " The man took a sip of his tea, contemplating.

"So he gave you that feeling too? He really was such a dear... so polite, and so very sweet. He did look a little rough, which was what initially put me on guard, but when I looked closer, he was a very handsome young man," the woman said, spreading butter and jam on a biscuit.

"I trust that man – I hope that he will continue to look after our Eko while he's here...

"I agree... I hope that he and Eko see each other more often... after all, she's seems quite taken with him," the lady said in amusement. She was joking, obviously – while it was true that she could tell that Eko was quite taken with the young lad, she questioned whether or not it was for that kind of relationship.

"Yes... let's hope this isn't the last time we see him...it'd be good if we could get him to walk her home from now on..."

"That's true," the woman said. "Then we don't have to worry about it anymore." She smiled at her husband and together, they both headed upstairs to their room.

+-|End of Chapter – Author's Note|-+

Well, that's that. The End – for this chapter, at least.

Oh, just for some of the people who are maybe confused or something, Eko is 19, and Layfon is 23 – and it's been 8 years since they last met.

Here, a timeline.

Layfon goes to Zuellni - Layfon meets and takes care of Eko

6 years later

Layfon graduates from Zuellni and head back to Grendan - Layfon starts traveling between cities

2 years later

Layfon comes to Eko's City - Layfon and Eko meet again

There's that! Oh, and Eko isn't an OC – if you read the Chrome Shelled Regios manga (not Missing Mail, this one's centered more on Nina), you'll see that Nina picks up a little girl that looks like Zuellni, and well... go read "My Name is Eko-chan!" to find out what happened in my version.

Otherwise, just go read the manga. It's on

Oh! One last thing!

I drew a picture (very bad and very vague-ish – use your imagination!) of what Layfon looks like now – it's here (remove spaces for link):

http:/ s46. photobucket. com /albums / f102 / karupin163 / ?action=view¤t=Picture .jpg

If someone can draw better than that, and is willing to draw Layfon with short hair and Haia's tattoo on his right eye, than I'd much appreciate the link for it! :)