Summary: Neji tried to be civil. For the sake of his family, and Lady Hinata in particular, he tried. Whenever her peers from the university came over to the Hyuuga Manor for a study session, one particular viscount always caused hair at his nape to raise. Now he knew why that was and what to do about it ll KibaNeji ll Regency AU ll Sci-Fi AU

Fic takes place on Mars, don't ask me why

Love Me under the Blue Setting Sun

"You wanted to speak with me, uncle?"

When Neji walked into the study, his uncle Hiashi, the Marquess Hyuuga of Lunae Planum, turned around from where he stood by the window and gestured to take a seat.

"Yes, nephew. There is something I must speak with you about."

Hiashi's usually even voice took on a downhearted tone, and Neji knew that whatever it was had something to do with his late father. He mentally prepared himself. Regardless of how much time has passed since his father's death, everyone still hurt. Hizashi Hyuuga has died a hero in the Asteroid Belt fighting pirates that terrorized the space and merchant ships, his name was carved into the Great Memorial stone by the Queen herself, but this still didn't make the loss any lesser for the family.

"I have made a promise—" his uncle continued, and Neji listened. "—to my younger brother, your father, that I will look after you, ensure your future. You have been raised with care, given home, proper education, you even have a great inheritance waiting for you in a trust set up by your father. Which you will have access to at the end of this season, as was intended. However, there is one thing that my dear brother was not able to leave to you, but which is necessary for a prosperous future – a title. As such, to fulfil my promise, I am looking at several prospective partners for you."

"Of course, dear uncle," Neji nodded in response and left the study. What his uncle spoke of was nothing he didn't already know. His father was the second son in the family and, while still being a nobleman, did not possess a title to the land. So, when his uncle began searching for prospective partners for his dear cousin Hinata, Hiashi's eldest daughter and the future Marchioness Hyuuga of Lunae Planum, Neji knew that his turn was next. He just didn't know that it would come so soon.

Neji wasn't interested in marrying and obtaining a title. His father's calling in life was the Space Forces among the stars, not the land on Mars, so titles were of no use to him. Neji respected that and wanted to follow his steps. While he felt in himself the love for land and management of an estate in the same way his uncle did, Neji always knew that this was out of reach. He also knew that he could live without it. As such, after the season is over, he would pledge his life to the Queen and leave for the Asteroid Belt. Leave this life behind.

So, it didn't matter to Neji who his uncle would find, as he wouldn't stick around for the wedding. He was going to stay long enough, though, to be sure that his dear cousin was not matched with an unworthy imbecile – there were quite a few in her immediate circle of friends.

"Dear cousin," Hinata's gentle voice reached Neji, and he put a book aside. He enjoyed the quieter time in the library when she found him. "I heard that papa has asked to speak with you today. What was it about?"

"Lady Hinata," Neji smiled and stood immediately in a greeting, then waited for her to sit on the chaise before sitting back down right next. Her simple day dress shimmered in the window light. "It was nothing of importance," he simply said in response. Hinata always worried about him and practically everyone in their home – her heart was big and filled with kindness. He hated being the cause of her worry. "Better tell me of those new friends you made at the University."

And she did, easily distracted and excited at the opportunity to share. He graduated from the same university last season, so their circle of friends wasn't the same. As such, he deemed it most crucial to learn about them more, now that her father was searching for potential suitors for her. His dear uncle, with the very best intentions, of course, worried about the prospect's wealth and status in the society. Neji, though, knew how gentle his dear cousin was and wanted to make sure that her future spouse cared deeply for her as a person and not just the title.

By the end of their discussion, Neji convinced his cousin to host scheduled study sessions with her peers. He offered, of course, to teach them some material that he, having already graduated, knew of. She was thrilled.

He didn't like them in the least, Neji concluded after the first few study sessions.

Lady Yamanaka was too frivolous and paid way more attention to him (his hair mostly) than Lady Hinata or the studies. The heirs of Nara and Akimichi were also more preoccupied with themselves. There was Miss Haruno, a lovely young woman without a title. Her parents were known merchants in the town, though, which Neji respected. She seemed nice and studied diligently, too. However, she didn't show any interest beyond friendship in Hinata either. Then, there was the second son of the Uchiha holding the title of marquess already and with some sense in his head. Neji would have considered him to be good a prospect if only the young heir wasn't so smitten with another blond young man in the room. What a shame.

There were two more that he disliked the most – the heirs of Inuzuka and Aburame. They were the closest to Lady Hinata – her childhood friends. Though, Neji found them to be too friendly, too touchy at times. He wasn't happy with the fact that Inuzuka used to have a major crush on Hinata as well. Thank heavens that infatuation has subsided over the years.

"You're sulking."

"I'm not!" Neji retorted quickly to TenTen's observation as his old classmate and dear friend joined him near the window. He invited her today to answer everybody's questions on history, the subject he wasn't best at.

"You are. You're doing that thing again with your eyebrows. What got you worried?"

"Look at them!" He hissed, pointing at the study group that spread out in the drawing room "not a single one of them is worthy of Hinata's hand!"

"As if you would approve of anyone." She laughed in response, fixing her gloves stealing a book from his hand. "You're overly protective of her, you know."

"I would approve of you." He pointed out and immediately TenTen's cheeks flared.

"Stop it!" She hissed back and stormed to the group to help them with a new assignment.

Study sessions continued, and with every one of them, Neji was certain that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if his dear cousin were to marry anyone from that group. To his disappointment, Hiashi seriously considered the heirs of Inuzuka and Aburame.

To make it worse, Inuzuka must have figured out that Neji was vetting Hinata's potential matches because the man has been incessantly trying to suck up to him by engaging in meaningless conversations, inviting him to dance almost every ball that they attended, and the other day he had pasties delivered from Suna. Preposterous! How did he even know that those were Neji's favourite, his secret weakness?

Then, there was Lady Hinata at every opportunity bothering Neji with questions about Inuzuka. She was wondering what he thought of the viscount. Was she perhaps developing a crush as well? That would be a disaster.

Neji was thinking of ways to avoid this catastrophe when he was on his way to the drawing room for yet another learning session. A loud crinkle interrupted his train of thought, and as he moved his foot away, his eyes landed on a piece of paper. It looked too neat, the stationary too expensive, to be a piece of trash that a careless maid would leave, so Neji picked it up. His eyes went wide at the contents.

I'm in agony –
your pale eyes haunt my dreams every night.
Darkest ebony –
to take hold of your locks I just might,
bring your lips to mine.
I don't trust my restraint – I have come apart.
But my feelings are pure, this is why I write.
I lay bare my heart –
treat it as you like.

Neji crumpled the letter with the poor excuse of poetry written in it and held it tightly in his fist. The poem wasn't addressed to anyone, but the signature at the bottom caused his lips to twist in a snarl.

"Inuzuka," Neji spat out the name with all the rage that boiled inside him and stormed through the art gallery to the drawing room.

He found the offending author in the hallway, pacing back and forth, looking for the lost note, no doubt. Kiba Inuzuka, the Viscount of Oxia Planum, was taller than Neji despite being half a year cycle younger and carried more muscle, which always irritated but never intimidated Neji. (There was little on the red planet that could intimidate him). His dark brown hair spiked in different directions even more so today than usual – a clear indication of distress. Good.

"How dare you, Inuzuka?" Neji approached the man and threw the crumpled paper in his face. His own was red in fury. "To harbour such filthy thoughts about a lady, and even more, to write it down? Despicable!"

The viscount's eyes widened at the recognition of the note, and a blush of embarrassment covered his cheeks. It was partially concealed by two big tattoos, a trademark of the family, but Neji saw it nevertheless and was pleased. At the very least, the man knew shame.

"Neji, I can explain—"

"There's nothing to explain, you bastard. I am appalled! To see you sit so close to her every damn time and know that you would do that? I don't want you here or anywhere in Lady Hinata's life!"

"No, that's not fair," Inuzuka growled low, brows furrowing but Neji ignored that.

"You better leave right now and save your face. I know that uncle is considering marriage between you and Hinata. Over my dead body, I would ever allow that."

"I will not leave." The bastard had the nerve to straighten up and cross both arms across his chest in evident defiance.

"I will make sure that my dear cousin throws you out herself," Neji was done having this discussion and turned towards the drawing room, fully intending to tell her everything. She was a gentle lady, innocent, pure of heart, and would, without doubt, agree with him.

As he walked past Kiba, Neji violently rammed his shoulder in the man's to push him off his way. The man, though, grabbed his forearm in response and held him back.

"You do that, and I will tell your uncle that you applied for the Space Forces."

Neji refused to look surprised at the fact that somebody else found out his secret. He brushed off the hold and stormed away. The viscount was hot on his heels, but Neji didn't stop. When he made it to the room, everyone was already there. This included his uncle, surprisingly. Perhaps, he was interested in meeting Hinata's friends, after all. This was just perfect.

"Lady Hinata, dear uncle," he nodded in greeting. "There is something you must know."

"Neji!" Kiba growled behind him, but Neji made up his mind. As soon as the man caught up to him, Neji took hold of Kiba's yellow cravat and smashed their lips together. He could hear the shocked gasps in the room, which was exactly the reaction he intended to receive.

"Lord Inuzuka has just proposed to me," he said sweetly after releasing the man. He even mastered to look shy, knowing that the flush from his earlier rage still coloured his cheeks. "I accepted."

"If that's what you want, nephew." His uncle cleared his throat.

"Yes, uncle, nothing would make me happier."

Regardless of how much Neji protested, his uncle arranged for the engagement ball. The least he could do was push it as far as possible, but Hiashi and Hinata didn't exactly make it easy. They were too excited to Neji's liking. The ball was grand and elegant, even more so than the regular Hyuuga balls.

TenTen kept sending him disapproving looks, and he ignored her, to a degree. He couldn't just decline to dance with her – she was his dear friend. Besides, how else would he nudge her in Hinata's direction?

For a very long time, Neji knew that TenTen harboured tender feelings for his dear cousin. She kept it a secret, though, because her family did not belong to the ton – they were noblemen but chose to lead a simple life. More and more frequently, he would see the heartbreak flash in her eyes when Hinata engaged in a conversation with her peers.

"Don't be absurd, Neji," TenTen brushed him off again during their dance under the milliard of descending crystal lights. "Hinata would never marry down. Besides, she views me as her sister, nothing more."

That was absurd because Hinata never cared about titles – her own was only inferior to that of a duke, and marrying down would not change that. She also had a younger sister, Hanabi, and the way she looked at her was different from how she looked at TenTen. Still, just saying it to his friend wouldn't change her stubborn nature.

"Of course she does," Neji said instead and watched TenTen's brows furrow in thought. "You never treated her as anything more."

Neji danced with many people throughout the evening, as many as he could, before Kiba headed towards Hinata. That was his cue to interrupt and insist on a dance with his beloved fiancé. While Neji avoided the man as much as he could in the days before this ball, he still made sure that the viscount couldn't get anywhere near Lady Hinata. Neji wasn't going to allow the engagement to become an opportunity for the bastard to weasel his way even further into Hinata's life.

"You've been avoiding me, fiancé," Kiba said as they twirled in a waltz. Around them, people cheered, so Neji smiled his sweetest smile.

"Like a plague you are? Of course."

"In most annoying ways, I must add. I haven't had a meal with my dear friend, your cousin, in a long time. This saddens me, you know. And by the way, you are a fool to think that your intentions are a secret to your betrothed," Kiba drew him in closer, and Neji had to fight a blush at the proximity. The taller man's body was like a furnace in stark contrast to his. "You plan to stall this engagement until the very end of the season, am I right? Do you intend to, then, slip away on a solar ship into the unknown? How naive. There is a flaw in this grand plan of yours."

"I'm not going to let you break off the engagement, just so you know. It would be laughable of you, considering that to everyone's belief, you were the one who proposed," Neji narrowed his pale eyes at the dark brown ones and gripped the man's hand tighter.

"Oh, I'm planning on it." The viscount smiled gleefully. Just what was on his mind? Neji's brows furrowed, and he withdrew but was pulled back close.

"We're engaged. Remember, fiancé?" Kiba nibbled gently at his ear as he said that to which Neji smiled even sweeter and whispered back.

"Do that again, and I'll castrate you."

After that ball, Inuzuka behaved even more oddly than before their engagement. He was impossible to avoid without letting Hinata out of sight – he was everywhere where Neji was, behaving almost like a stereotypical lovesick fiancé. Neji felt sick with every bouquet of crystal flowers, with every new book, surprise invitations to luncheons at the town park. He cringed every time an article was published showing just how the Inuzuka heir showered with affection his betrothed. They didn't know of the man's true intentions!

Despite it all, Neji in secret enjoyed the pastries that Kiba kept delivering from Suna. It was a guilty pleasure that he had no control over. These pastries had the most intricate and delicate designs, sometimes even too pretty to eat. To make it worse (or more divine), they were delivered in music boxes that played the most amazing melodies that amplified the taste.

They attended balls throughout the season – it was expected as their engagement was the hottest topic of the ton. Neji had to keep up with the pretences and to make sure that Kiba danced only with him, as every single time he released Inuzuka's hand, the bastard went straight to his cousin. He couldn't possibly allow Lady Hinata to dance with Kiba because, damn Deimos, the man could dance!

On several occasions, Neji had to admit to himself that his own heart skipped just a beat or two when strong hands led him around the dance floor with the ease of a predator carrying its prey. Swift and sure were Kiba's steps over the porcelain, and every dance was like a challenge. Neji enjoyed a good challenge.

When Hiashi came with the request to spend a few days with the Countess Tsume Inuzuka of Oxia Planum and other members of the family at their estate, before them hosting another ball in the couple's honour, Neji resisted but not for long. He heard stories about the vast clay-bearing plane with towering mountains at the border and has always wanted to visit at least once. He figured that there was no harm in that.

Neji, of course, insisted that Lady Hinata stayed in town to help plan his wedding with TenTen, his appointed best friend for this joyous occasion. He didn't listen to any of TenTen's complaints about the matter. If the woman wasn't going to do something about her infatuation with his cousin, then it was up to him (as a loyal friend and loving cousin).

Oxia Planum was magnificent. Kiba has taken Neji for a ride on solar sailboards and shown him the little villages scattered throughout the land, where their people lived. The soil was rich with phosphorescent minerals, which was the reason why Neji wanted to see it so badly.

They watched the blue hue of the sunset wash over the land through the viewing platform in one of the smaller villages. Kiba said that this place had the best view in the whole planum, and Neji had to agree – as soon as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the chain of mountains, a sea of tiny green lights appeared in its shadow. Neji stood in awe – It seemed to him that the stars from high above descended and took shelter in this valley.

"It could be yours," he heard Kiba say from beside him, and Neji looked his way, noting how the man bit his lip as if regretting to have opened the mouth in the first place.

"What do you mean?"

For a brief moment, the man hesitated, then shook his head and looked straight at Neji.

"Do you remember the note, Neji?" How could he forget?

"Of course," Neji huffed and turned back to the landscape. He remembered the poem by heart as it's been on his mind every single day since then. He wondered at times what kind of feeling would have prompted a man to put such passionate words to paper. Neji even doubted at times if keeping Kiba away from Hinata was a wise choice as the man has shown many good qualities. But only at times, because he knew he wasn't wrong in this, and TenTen was a much better fit for Hinata.

"I'm in agony," Kiba recited the first line and gripped the pillars of the platform. What he said next drew Neji's attention back to him. "I've been in agony since long ago, but after your kiss, I— Goddess, Neji, do you have any idea what that kiss did to me? What you're doing to me every day, every dance?"

The kiss? Why would he be so worried about that kiss? Neji couldn't wrap his head around it and furrowed his brows.

"It was just a peck, Inuzuka. Innocent in comparison to what you seemed so inclined to do to Lady Hinata. Get over it. Honestly, this is hardly something to think twice about."

"Are you truly that dense? So blinded by your hatred of me?"

"I do not hate you. I did what I had to, to keep you away from Lady Hinata!" Neji's frustration with the conversation boiled inside him. Inuzuka knew exactly why Neji had to do that. "So that you do not soil her innocence, should you, as you put it then, lose your restraint!"

"You're not hearing me!" Kiba barked back, and then in one sudden movement, his hand was at Neji's nape, fingers buried in dark hair. Warm lips silenced any comeback Neji had coming. The other hand encircled around his waist, and he gasped. The viscount released a throaty growl, kissing him harder, nibbling at Neji's and then his own lips as if fighting against himself to not deepen the kiss even further. Breathing hard, Kiba pulled away to then lock the shellshocked Neji in a crushing embrace and whispered into his hair: "You never needed to worry about her. You needed to keep me away from you."

With that, the viscount left towards their solar sailboats. Neji watched him change his mind halfway and head towards the teleporting platform instead. Perhaps because the emotions run too wildly to be able to safely drive. Neji couldn't blame him, he had a hard time remembering if his heart ever beat so quickly.

Now, it seemed, it was Kiba's turn to avoid him. Which was just fine with Neji, as he needed to think over what the man said to him and other things.

It was almost the end of the season, which meant so many things. His uncle scheduled a meeting at the bank to formally transfer the wealth to Neji. The other day, a letter of acceptance arrived from the Space Forces. If he wished, he could leave for the Asteroid Belt any day now. Somehow, this news didn't bring me as much joy as it used to. Over and over, his mind returned to the Oxia Planum and the sea of green lights in the night.

"You know that he is going to break off the engagement, right?" TenTen told him over their lunch.

"I suspect, yes," he admitted. "He called upon a meeting with dear uncle tomorrow afternoon."

"What are you planning to do?"

"What about you?" TenTen sighed. She has been spending all her days in Lady Hinata's company. Neji knew that it was becoming harder and harder for the woman to conceal her feelings.

"I've decided to confess," she clenched her napkin nervously, but her eyes were full of resolve. "I watched you and Kiba all season. To know that all this time he harboured feelings for you and not Hinata was a deep surprise. It caused so many misunderstandings. I do not wish to keep my feelings away from her any longer – she has the right to know. If she rejects my affection, then so be it – I'm strong. I will move on."

Neji paced around the seats in his uncle's study. Hasn't slept at all last night, considering his options. He wasn't sure if he was making the right decision, but something in him changed throughout the season.

Earlier today he confessed to Hiashi that his original intent was to serve the crown in the Asteroid Belt after the season was over and not to marry. Surprisingly, his uncle was very understanding and confessed in return that he simply wished for Neji's happiness. Neji knew then that no matter his decision, his family was there to support him. There was just one matter to sort out – his engagement.

The viscount showed right at the appointed time. Neji's heart seised when the look of surprise in the dark eyes was replaced with hurt. Still, the man didn't choose to leave right away.

"I came to talk with your uncle," the viscount said.

"I know, but there is something I must discuss with you before you do," Neji felt his fingers go numb from how tightly he was holding them in the fists. "You said that I can do as I like, right?" When no response has followed, he added: "In your note, you said that I can treat your heart as I like. Does this still stand?"

After a moment that seemed to stretch for hours, Kiba responded with a simple:

"Yes."

"Good." Neji nodded and felt immense relief wash over him. "I have decided to keep it and treat it kindly from now on. I expect you to spoil me even more, you hear?" He took deep pleasure in how the expression in the viscount's eyes changed from resigned to full of life in a millisecond. He didn't stop there, though. "You can start now, I wish for you to kiss me with all you got. No restraint."

He didn't need to ask twice.

AN: Thank you so much for reading! 😭💓 I really, really hope that you enjoyed it!

Neji and Kiba will, of course, marry and ride off into the blue sunset to live happily ever after. Hinata will sweep TenTen off her feet as soon as the girl confesses her feelings. We all know that behind this gentle facade is a strong passionate Marchioness!