Sabaism

[Noun

Sabaism the worship of stars or of spirits in them, especially as practised in ancient Arabia and Mesopotamia; the term comes (in the early 18th century) via French from Hebrew ṣābā' 'hosts (of heaven)', after the presumed etymology of Sabian.]

Wind. Warm wind. Something Sanji hasn't felt in a long time. Well, Sanji hasn't felt wind in a long time. Maybe the stars will be out tonight? He hasn't seen those since he was quite little.

Grabbing a coat he leaves his little cot of a home and heads up the small hill in front of the shack he lives in.

Twelve adults live in his village. Including himself. Ten children accompany some lucky couples. Having children is a blessing from the gods. Not being able to doesn't matter, there's always someone who's pregnant and already has children of their own who are willing to help a lonely couple out..

Those couples usually give their children to other couples who can't have children. Whether it's because neither of them have seed, or neither of them have a womb, no one is belittled in this village.

Sanji himself is a peace keeper. A knight. A soldier. A policeman. What ever suited him best. He protected the town, and especially the women. There has never been a case of abuse or rape in the town sense Sanji's taken command, Sanji's made sure of that, even if it was attempted on men as well.

As Sanji walks up the grassy hill he breathes in the cool clear air. The generators must be online right now. He left his shoes inside his home not thinking he'd need them to just walk up the hill. He doesn't really need shoes at all in the village, it being so small he could walk across the whole thing and his feet would still be clean the short distance would do nothing to dirty them.

The dark green grass is soft under and in between his toes. Being almost midnight the colors are all rich dark undertones. Small dew drops on the grass give a almost glowy feel to the strands.

The dark grey clouds are parted in a large gap showing off bright glittering stars. Sanji stands and tilts his head back, pausing a to take in the sight for a moment.

The sky is usually covered in thick grey smog/clouds from the pollution from the past. Humans were stupid in the past, but lets not get into that now. The generators are supposed to be on all the time but of course they only come on once a week if they're lucky.

On days like these, Sanji likes taking a walk up the hill and sitting at the top and star gazing, maybe shoot a prayer to the gods, or maybe even the sea. Something he hasn't seen in his whole life. But he has heard fabulous stories about it.

Walking up the small hill he spots a figure seated as well atop the grassy mound.

The sun is setting now leaving only the silhouette of the person left for Sanji to identify him with. The out of control curly hair and muscular build of the man gave away his identity to Sanji immediately.

Sanji smiles. He's been meaning to talk to Usopp lately. It's a small village so it gets hard not talking to someone. Not that he was trying to ignore the dark skinned man, it just sort of happened.

Feeling his feet sink into the moist grass he walks quickly, not wanting to miss a perfect moment next to Usopp. Especially while the stars are out and the sun is setting so beautifully.

Making his way over Sanji sits wordlessly next to the long nosed man. On the blanket he brought with him he allowed Usopp to join him on the quilt. They stay in peaceful silence just watching the world.

A long while ago there was too much pollution in the world and air that humans couldn't survive. So much that anything couldn't survive.

So they made weird ships and sent everyone out into space while robots cleaned up the earth. When they came back the air had fucked up people's lungs so bad that after generations inside the star ships the human race lost their ability to speak.

Which Sanji has to say is quite nice. Any elder that explained how they were when people were younger and could talk. It sounded like a noisy boring world. Especially since Brook had never shut up.

Now it is peaceful. No one does anything to make a ruckus, but that could also be because of Sanji and the villagers respectful fear of him. Then again maybe not.

Twelve adults. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Himself, Robin, Franky, Kid, Law, Kureha, Boney, and Mihawk. Ten kids. Chopper, Momonosuke, Chimney, Xaio, Ninjin, Piiman, Tamanegi, Noko, Nojiko, Sayo, Lina, and Kuina.

The village is a small place, but they make do with who and what they have. Eventually they will become bigger, with the children growing up and having their own little ones to take care of. Every now and then a traveler will stop by their town to get some rest or have some food.

The children are always in awe by the traveler. Always wanting to act out stories of where the traveler has been. Sanji keeps an eye on the stranger, never knowing if they are actually one of the rare travelers, or an escapee from other villages prisons. No one has gotten hurt so far.

Sanji spreads his hands across the grass feeling the smooth fibers between his fingers. The cool breeze against his skin is nice against the warm air. The stars twinkle in the night sky as the gap in the clouds become wider.

Usopp sits next to him, staring up at the stars. He hasn't even flinched since Sanji sat down. The blond in used to this. Usopp being deaf as well as blind was rare to their village.

Sure some people couldn't see (Robin, Zoro) But as a substitute for that they could speak. Having someone who couldn't do both was rare, and never before seen in their village. Sanji knows Usopp can feel Sanji sitting besides him. Usopp can probably feel the heat coming off of Sanji's body, how the grass bends to accommodate for Sanji's weight.

Sanji slides his hand over to grip his lovers hand. Usopp squeezes back after a second of feeling whose hand it is. Why Usopp knows that there are stars in the sky, Sanji has no idea.

Their world isn't perfect, and there are some imperfections, but everyone is happy. They work together to make their world work.

And that gap in the clouds keeps on getting wider.