A/N; Guess what came back from the dead?! That's right! This story. Right here. That I haven't touched since November 23rd 2014.

Now once upon a time I wrote seven chapters. And once upon a time I only posted four. Three chapters were left unposted and unread. Now I've retrieved them and rewritten them, using the original base of them.

Also shout out to everyone who reviewed, even after this story went on hiatus. Every time I read a review I couldn't help but smile knowing someone found this story and liked it enough to comment. Thank you one and all, and without any further delay, accept this new chapter.

5

The Shining Star

I jerked my head up in surprise, noticing a tiny shape teetering on a ledge near the top of the cliff face. Everyone else noticed too and squinted, trying to figure out what it was. All the while the shouting continued.

"I'm Black Star!" It was quite a ways off. I couldn't really hear it. "The man who will surpass God!"

"Maybe it's just a monkey?" Liz half muttered under her breath.

"No... I think it's person," Maka said. "See? It's got little arms and legs."

"Let's just ignore it," I suggested. We still had miles of road ahead of us and standing here staring at something flailing its arms didn't seem like a solid plan.

Just then, the figure hurled itself into the air and fell straight down at break-neck speeds. It landed hard on the uneven stone ground, and stood up, barely fazed by the fall. The boy was short, just a kid, and his hair was sticking out in all directions like he'd gotten struck by lighting. The weirdest part was the fact that he was not dressed for the weather, nor seemed to be from around here at all. The chance of him being a threat was far from my mind.

"Look at all your stunned faces! Can't stop looking at how big I am! Hya ha ha ha!" He laughed like a psychopath. I thought maybe this is what people meant when they use the word 'arrogant'.

"Oi," I whispered to Kid. "You are Lord Death's son, aren't you? That makes you a god. Go fight him."

"What? No!" Kid looked horrified. "You go fight him!"

"I'm not a god. You go fight him!" At first our argument was in hushed tones, but it quickly grew louder.

The others were looking at us, but the brat was still laughing. "Why don't you fight him?" Maka hissed at me. "It doesn't look like he's that tough or anything."

"I am not turning into a weapon again!" I growled. Before I'd been curious, but with all said and done, I wasn't about to transform for her pleasure. I wanted to be human for as long as possible. Because who knew how long it would last?

I tried to ignore her hurt expression.

"Um... Hello?" I jerked my head around in surprise. Tsubaki had approached the kid, a little cautiously, and seemed to be trying to communicate. "It is Black Star, isn't it?" Her voice was quiet, humble, and polite.

"Yep!" He was snapped out of his psychotic laughing, as his attention was diverted to her. "I'm the man who will surpass God! Who're you small fries?"

"My name's Tsubaki," she said with a slight bow. "These are my friends."

She'd known most of us for about forty eight hours and now we were all suddenly friends? Whatever. I stopped caring a while ago.

"Let's just go," Kid hissed beside me. "There's no helping this weirdo."

"Don't think I'm small enough to be ignored!" I turned with a start. The kid had somehow teleported onto a nearby boulder, causing him to be several feet higher than us. "I am the man who will surpass God!"

"He's a shinnigami." I pointed at Kid. "So he's a god."

"Wait! Why'd you tell him!" Kid looked horrified, like I'd just asked him to go jump into a lake.

I wasn't sure myself. I just kind of felt the need.

I didn't ponder about it long because suddenly a blur shot by me and straight at Kid. Lord Death's son didn't have time to even blink before a fist slammed into his cheek. He stumbled back and rubbed the bruised and throbbing skin. "What was that for?!" he snapped at Black Star.

The ambusher had a determined grin on. "I am the man who will surpass God!"

What had I done? I mean sure the kid was crazy, but I didn't think he'd actually attack anyone.

Death the Kid yelped and backed up another step as he dodged another blow to the face. Black Star was definitely determined. But with the element of surprise gone, Kid was suddenly able to fight back.

He dropped to the ground and swept his feet out to trip his opponent. Then quickly followed through with a fist to the jaw. The beating only seemed to made Black Star more eager for a fight.

He returned his own blows, but I realized how sloppy they were in comparison to someone who'd obviously mastered the martial arts. Kick. Block. Punch. Kick. Over and over.

"Hey, stop it!" Tsubaki almost shouted. She looked panicked. It was unclear how this fight would turn out. However she wasn't the one that ended it.

Suddenly a bullet shot between the two battling boys, smashing a crater into the cliff face. Both instantly froze and stared at Liz, who held Patti in her weapon form.

The older sister was frowning at them, before letting go of Patti. A split second later she shifted back into a human, looking quite pleased at her performance.

It never occurred to me before that they could wield each other. Guess Meisters weren't so special after all.

"Forget it," Liz said in a dangerous tone. Her eyes had gone hard. "Fighting isn't getting us out of the snow any faster. Let's just go."

Without waiting for anyone's permission, she twisted around and started up a fast pace with her long strides. Pattie, happy as ever, trotted after her. Maka gave me an uncertain look, then followed them.

Kid, Tsubaki, and I trailed after.

Black Star's expression as we left was something of silent shock and awe. It was clear he had never seen a pistol turn into a girl before. Just another oblivious individual.

He didn't try to stop us, but eventually he reverted to glaring silently. I had no regrets about leaving this gorge behind.

...

The sun had set by the time we emerged out of the canyon. Wind howled strongly and whipped around the snow, making it hard to see. On a silent agreement we retreated back into the shelter of the cliffs for the night.

I made myself comfortable on the uneven stone, feeling snow dampen my clothes. My legs were stiff from walking and I felt cold. Unfortunately, there would be no fire tonight.

Everyone curled themselves up as they waited for sleep. They shivered but didn't try to move closer. We all had our differences. We weren't friends, as Tsubaki had said. We were strangers stuck in a situation no one wanted.

I sighed to myself and leaned my head back. Things were much simpler before, in the warmth of the tavern basement. In the cramped form of my weapon that was horribly constricting.

I flexed my hands. I could feel the cold numbing my fingers, but it still felt good to be able to move each individual joint. I was alive now. I was human.

The moon rose steadily, until I could finally see it through the top of the gorge. It glowed almost full, and was one steady point in this chaotic world. If things had been different, I doubted I'd be seeing a sky like this for a long time.

For hours after I watched the stars. Sleep never came to me. My breath came out in small puffs and the chill of night had set into my limbs.

I was exhausted, to be sure. But I couldn't dream. I never could. Instead I was stuck being sleepless and tired. Tired of everything.

I heard steps from farther inside the gorge. Without moving my head, I glanced that direction, catching sight of a small silhouette watching us. It was Black Star. But now he seemed a lot more humble. I wondered briefly what he wanted. He was probably just curious. Death Weapons weren't common. People who knew about them even less so. It must be weird to see a person transform when you thought humans were simply humans and witches were simply witches. I couldn't imagine it, because that wasn't my life.

After a while Black Star left again. He vanished out of sight around one of the bends. Only then did I allow my eyes to close and my mind to drift.

...

When I woke up Black Star was back. The sky was still dark, with patches of lighter colours just barely showing. Everyone was awake.

Black Star seemed to be having some argument with Kid and Maka. I didn't know what about. My mind was still muddled by sleep and I couldn't bring myself to care.

Instead I slowly stood and stretched the stiffness out of my muscles. It was nice to be able to move when I wanted to. To walk around endlessly and find myself out of breath. As a weapon I could never have that experience.

I yawned loudly and watched as Maka charged back in my direction. I gave her a tired shark-toothed grin. "What's up?"

"Black Star," she fumed. "He wants to come with us. No matter how many times we say no!"

I raised an eyebrow at this. "Does he even know where we're going?"

"Apparently he doesn't care!" Maka snapped. "I give up. He can do whatever he wants."

And thus he wanted to follow us. Eventually Kid gave up as well, and we all left the gorge as one big happy family. Black Star looked completely smug with himself, as he trailed behind, hands behind his head. Every now and then he'd grin and laugh. I don't know why, but he didn't bug me as much anymore. Maybe I was just tired.

...

A/N; Thanks for reading. Don't know what will happen with other chapters or when they'll be posted. If all goes well then you should get another in a week. But who knows if that'll be true.

Also, if you're curious about my other stories or this one, or have any questions, concerns or suggestions, feel free to pm me. I look forward to seeing you all again.

-Falconface