A/N: Okay, here's the deal: I have not read any of the Dragon Hunters comics. :(

If there was a backstory in the comics telling of how Gwizdo and Lian-Chu first met (or if I missed something from the series), I feel kind of foolish.

Oh well!

Warnings for this chapter: Absolutely positively nothing. Basically this is just the beginning of a friendship.

Remembrance

Lian-Chu approached the Orphan Farm with caution. He was all alone now, with no one left to take care of him, he would have to fend for himself… but he needed help. He was only ten years old and the memory of his village being slaughtered was still fresh in his mind. It's not as if the building he approached looked intimidating: it wasn't rainy or dark. In fact, today was more sunny and bright than it has been for the past couple of weeks. It was Lian-Chu's nervousness upon meeting his last hope and the sadness that came with knowing that the orphan farm was his last hope, that made the small boy hesitate approaching the building. He just wanted to just go home to his family, but he knew there was nothing left to go back to. This was his only choice: seek help from others willing to offer it.

He raised his strong arm hesitantly to the door and knocked gently.

Lian-Chu thought he would have to wait for at least a few minutes before he got a reply, but almost a second after his hand had touched the surface of the wood had the door opened. A boy who looked to be only a year or two younger than him greeted him with a toothy grin, "Well hello there! I thought you were just going to stand outside forever. What can I do for you?"

The bulky boy was surprised at the introduction and just stood there as the skinny and very short boy kept looking at him.

"Well?" The small boy was starting to lose his patience. He grabbed Lian-Chu's arm and tried to pull him inside. "I'm not the strongest kid at the farm, so would you mind giving me a little help here?"

Lian-Chu nodded his head and allowed the small boy to lead him inside. There, he found the room filled with beds, clothes, toys, and kitchenware. Gwizdo kicked a pan under one of the beds, "Don't mind the mess. It's my turn to clean up inside the house, so I'll have it all sorted out in a few minutes. No time at all." He grinned, "Actually, since you're here. Would you mind helping me out?"

This was the first human contact Lian-Chu had had for a while, so he was still in shock at having been greeted so happily. Before Lian-Chu could reply to the boy's question, said boy handed him a broom, "All you have to do is sweep everything under the beds. It's actually one of the easiest jobs here. Though cooking duty isn't so bad. I just hate washing: clothes, pots, pans, the floor, myself. Washing in general really." The boy started pushing the items on the floor under the bed, "With you here to help, I can get this done in record time!"

Lian-Chu wasn't sure of what to do. He just shrugged his shoulders and got to work sweeping the various objects under the numerous beds. The two boys worked for about an hour or so before they hit a problem.

"lordy, lordy, lordy. This is more stuff than usual. I don't think we can put any more stuff under the beds…. I guess we'll just have to stuff them under the mattress." The weak boy struggled to lift up the mattress, "I'm sure no one will notice."

Lian-Chu watched the boy struggle with the mattress when he had an idea. Placing the broom off to the side, Lian-Chu walked over to a bed that appeared to have the least amount of items crammed under it. He placed his hands underneath the bed, bent his knees, and gently lifted the bed up off the ground.

"Over here." He called.

The other boy stopped trying to cram things under the mattress and looked over. "Woah. You're really strong."

Lian-Chu smiled, "You can put more things under now."

The small boy smiled right back at him and picked up the rest of the objects.


Before the two knew it, they had finished cleaning the room.

Just as soon as Lian-Chu set down the last bed, the door to the back of the house opened up, revealing at least 6 other kids and an adult woman. The children varied in ages, but most looked to be between the ages of 5 and 15. They were all carrying baskets full clothes in their hands.

The woman set down her basket and let out an exasperated sigh, "This room looks so nice… Did you just sweep everything under the beds again, Gwizdo?"

The boy, whose name must have been Gwizdo, gave her a sheepish grin, "You should trust me more, Mother Hubbard."

One of the children put down his own basket and ran over to a bed. He looked down and noticed the (rather large) pile of items underneath. He pulled out a pot and frowned, "You did it again! This is why you're never allowed to clean the house. You always do this and then we have to wash everything again!"

Gwizdo just smirked at the boy and shrugged his shoulders, "It was like that before. How was I supposed to know you horde objects under your bed?"

Mother Hubbard sighed, "Gwizdo, we've been over this. You need to actually clean the room." It was then that she happened to notice the child standing next to the troublemaker. "Who is this?" She asked.

Gwzido smiled and turned to Lian-Chu, "Oh, right, of course. This is… Uh."

"You don't even know his name?" the boy who had inspected underneath the bed said.

"What a Gwizdo!" one of the other kids called.

Gwizdo kicked the ground, ashamed. Lian-Chu noticed this and stepped forward slightly, "My name is Lian-Chu. I helped Gwizdo put everything under the beds, so it's not all his fault."

Mother Hubbard smiled at the new child before her, "Okay. What's your name?"

"Lian-Chu" he said, slightly turning to Gwizdo.

"Alright, Lian-Chu. You and Gwizdo better pull out everything from under the beds and put them where they belong, or you will not get any dessert. After the rest of us put the clothes away, I'll prepare a place for you to sleep." She turned back to the rest of the kids and picked up her basket, "Come on, children. Let's hang these out to dry while we wait for Lian-Chu and Gwizdo to prepare the next batch of dirty clothes."

The children groaned as they followed Mother Hubbard out another door to the house.

When all the children had left, Gwizdo held out his hand to the boy next to him, "Hey there, Lian-Chu. My name is Gwizdo, it's been a pleasure doing chores with you." He scratched his nose with his other hand, "I should have asked for your name before the chores, but I was kind of in a rush after wasting a bunch of time staring out the window."

Lian-Chu smiled and shook the boy's hand, "Nice to meet you, Gwizdo."

"Likewise, big guy. Now let's get back to work before they get done out there."

Lian-Chu grinned.

In just one day he had found himself a new home and a best friend.


A/N: This was a little chapter for the sake of being cute. As always, reviews are welcome! Please tell me if I messed up on anything so I can improve for the next chapter. :)

Special thanks to:

Harry Helioptile, sadielizyy, and forgottenegao for reviewing! I'm sorry it took me so long to post another chapter; I had a birthday and finals to keep me busy. I can't believe that it's been so long!