Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This collection is mine, as are Duke, McCallister, and Jake. To be honest, I'm a little wary with this chapter. I've never played FFIX, and I have no idea what Garnet's character is like. I gave it my best attempt, and yes, Rinoa is a little out there, but for this chapter, I think that's okay.

For obvious reasons, this one doesn't take place directly in my Alliance-verse, though there are a few common elements in it (Duke, the apartment, etc). Enjoy!

..:-X-:..

026 – Family Ties

(For The Sacred and Profane; Prompt: 'Rinoa and Garnet, from FF9, are Tifa's sisters, and both are coming over to spend a few weeks with her. Can Squall survive them? What do they think of Tifa's soon to be husband?')

"—and then…and then…" Tifa tried to tell her story between fits of laughter, "—I'm already fighting the troll…and Leon finally shows up…on a horse no less, and this crazy guy in purple tights is with him, brandishing a sword and everything!"

Her two younger sisters, Rinoa and Garnet, were giggling with her as she told one of the countless stories that she had accrued while partnering missions with Leon.

"So when do we get to meet this dashing man, who rescues damsels on mighty steeds?" Rinoa chimed.

Tifa glanced toward the clock on the wall of the apartment. "He should be here in half an hour or so. He got the early hour shift for the morning, so he probably will go straight to bed."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about you two living together before you're married." Garnet said contemplatively.

"I think it's important." Rinoa argued. "Being in a relationship with someone and living with someone can be hard to bring together."

Tifa bobbed her head, "That was my reasoning."

"Rinoa, you've never even lived with a man besides Dad." Garnet pressed.

"Well—" Rinoa looked flustered. "Just imagine. When you're on a date with a guy, he's trying to impress you…and vice versa. But when you're living together, you see bedhead and laundry and all those other unattractive parts of them."

"And I don't want to scare you two." Tifa leaned forward, "But…Holy Kingdom Hearts…living with a man…it's horrendous. You wouldn't believe…"

Rinoa and Garnet both blinked, exchanged looks, and then glanced around the pristine, organized, and clutter-free apartment.

Tifa straightened, "No, no, no, not Leon. Sheesh, living with Leon has been heaven…barring, y'know, the odd man smell…but I crashed with this guy Tulio for a while…"

"You've lived with other men?" Garnet's eyes widened.

"I was on the run from Heartless and searching for Cloud for nearly ten years, sis. It was a few nights, just because I had no munny to afford a hotel. He was really nice, not a perv or anything, but his place was a complete and utter mess."

The front door opened suddenly and Leon walked in, looking dead on his feet and exhausted. All three woman glanced his way as he closed the door, and he paused slightly when he saw two more women than he had been expecting.

"Hi." He greeted, confused.

Tifa stood, "Leon, these are my sisters, Rinoa and Garnet. Remember, I told you they'd be visiting for a few weeks?"

"Right, sorry. Hello, nice to meet you two." He said, shaking each of their hands in turn.

Rinoa blushed hotly, but Garnet returned the greeting formally.

"A pleasure to finally meet you." Garnet said.

"You're home early." Tifa prompted. "Short meeting?"

"Yeah, Nestor made everybody angry faster than usual, so they ended early to stop any preemptive attack on him." Leon rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, again, ladies, but I've got another meeting in the morning…"

"Of course, not a problem at all." Garnet bobbed her head.

Leon looked to Tifa, to make sure it wouldn't be rude to excuse himself. She gave him a thumb up, and he made his escape into the bedroom. Rinoa leaned far out of her seat to watch him go. As soon as the door closed, she abruptly spun to face Tifa again.

"Please tell me that you are tapping that."

"Rinoa!" Garnet balked.

Tifa snorted into her lemonade.

Rinoa shrugged at Garnet and looked to Tifa in all seriousness, "I haven't seen a butt like that since my last boyfriend. You could bounce a nickel off that thing!"

..:-X-:..

Leon had a better introduction to the sisters a few days later, when they came by the office to take Tifa out for a surprise lunch. Well, he made a better second impression on Garnet, as she invited him to come along, but he had to politely decline, allowing the sisters to spend more quality time together. Rinoa, on the other hand…

"Nice desk." She had come into his office without bothering to knock, and proceeded to lean over his desk in a rather…provocative way.

"Er, thanks." He leaned away. "Um, I think Tifa and Garnet were headed for the elevator."

"I know. I just wanted a…private word." She said lowly.

Leon twitched, recognizing all too well that look in the woman's eyes. "I'm in love with your sister, Rinoa. This…isn't appropriate."

"Ooh, you make it sound so…forbidden." She went on.

Private McCallister walked in and staggered at the sight before her. Leon met the soldier's eyes and shook his head.

"This isn't—"

McCallister groaned, walked in, grabbed Rinoa by the ear, and bodily removed her from the office. Rinoa squawked and struggled the whole way, but McCallister didn't release her until she was practically at the elevator. Returning briefly to Leon's office, the soldier just shook her head and closed his door after herself as she left.

..:-X-:..

"You did what?!" Tifa railed at Rinoa that evening.

"I was just testing him." Rinoa rolled her eyes, "What's the big deal?"

"You hit on my boyfriend!"

"He didn't act on it; you should be proud of him." Rinoa shrugged. "I'm a tasty slice of cake and he didn't want a bite."

Tifa looked disgusted. "How could you—"

"What's wrong with your ear?" Garnet remarked, amused by the whole turn of events.

Rinoa self consciously rubbed at her ear. "Nothing."

..:-X-:..

"I apologize for my sister's behavior." Garnet remarked later that week, while she and Leon were the only ones at the apartment. "She has good intentions."

"I understand. It was just a little…awkward." Leon replied.

"Well, please consider our situation." She said, fidgeting with her hair. "Tifa was…um…invested…in finding Cloud Strife for years. We were almost certain that when they found each other…"

Leon looked at her and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. It was just…a surprise to hear that she was with someone else."

He sighed, "I know."

Garnet glanced toward the door and leaned closer to him, "You know what?"

Leon lifted an eyebrow.

"I like you better than him anyway." She snickered.

Leon blinked, smirked, and went back to working on paperwork.

..:-X-:..

The door busting open at two am is no way to be woken up, unless there is a fire.

As it was, Tifa and Leon were both jerked back to awareness as Rinoa stomped in.

"Seriously? There is no reason to—eh?" She deflated.

Leon lifted his head but left his arms wrapped around Tifa, where she had been sleeping with her back against his chest. "What—"

"—the Hell?!" Tifa snapped, groggy with sleep but still furious.

"That…wasn't you?" Rinoa grimaced.

"What wasn't us?" Tifa barked.

Leon tapped her arm and gestured to the ceiling, where, as Tifa quieted, they could hear the distinct, repetitive sound of two people…for lack of a better word…gettin' it on. Tifa made a disgusted noise and glared at Rinoa.

"It's two am. We were sleeping, like normal people!" She yelled the last part at the ceiling. "Great, now we're going to have to try to sleep through the Humps-a-lots upstairs. Thanks, Rinoa!" She slumped back to the mattress in a bad humor.

Rinoa grimaced, "Sorry, sorry—"

"What's all the racket—oh!" Garnet stumbled in and then immediately averted her eyes. "Were you two—"

"No!" Tifa snapped, and Leon dropped his head back to the pillow. "We were sleeping!"

"Let's go." Garnet tugged Rinoa out of the room.

Rinoa backed out, repeating, "Sorry, sorry, I'm going, we're going—"

Leon snickered against Tifa's back, and she swatted his hand around her waist before they tried to go back to sleep.

..:-X-:..

"No." Leon didn't even look up from the newspaper.

All three of the women sitting with him at the outdoor café looked his way.

"No?" Tifa quirked an eyebrow.

Leon looked at her, then to Rinoa, who had been looking after the passerby with googly eyes. Garnet chuckled into her tea, but Tifa reached over and grasped Rinoa's wrist.

"No." Tifa reinforced.

Rinoa frowned at her, "Why not?"

"That's Jake Alms." Leon answered. "He's the town…oddball."

"He thinks he's a ladies' man, but he's really just annoying." Tifa commented.

"I will make that judgment for myself, thank you very much." Rinoa stood, taking her purse with her, "I think he's cute. I shall pursue."

She started after him. Garnet looked concerned.

"He's harmless." Leon assured her. "Just…odd."

..:-X-:..

"You know our father is dead, right?" Garnet chimed on the evening before she and Rinoa were going to take the train back home.

Leon looked evenly up from his newspaper, answering cautiously. "Yes."

"So you are aware," She sat up from her seat on the sofa. "that if you were to ever desire our sister's hand in marriage, you would have to ask one of us."

Leon squinted one eye at her, but saw that she was completely serious. "I am…aware."

Garnet nodded sagely. "So, seeing as this is our last night here…is there anything you would like to ask?" She prompted delicately, but with all the subtlety of Cid in a smoke-free bar.

Leon straightened in his seat, "There is."

Garnet sat with her hands clasped in her lap. "Then okay."

He blinked, "Okay…?"

"You clearly make Tifa happy, and she makes you happy. So, you have my permission to ask for her hand…if she'll have you," She winked. "which she will."

Then, as abruptly as that conversation began, Garnet retired to her room for the evening. Non-plussed, Leon looked to Duke, the golden retriever, where she was curled under the coffee table.

He spread his hands at the dog, "Well, okay then."

..:-X-:..

"Have a safe trip back!" Tifa hugged her sisters as their train prepared to take on passengers.

"It was so nice to see you!" Rinoa squeezed her sister tightly.

"I think you've caught a winner." Garnet remarked with a smile. "Keep an eye on him, or some man eater like Rinoa will gobble him up."

Rinoa blushed, "I would never—"

"Not saying goodbye to Jake?" Tifa teased.

Rinoa scoffed, "If I never see that dorkfish for the rest of my life…it'll be too soon!"

Garnet and Tifa exchanged knowing looks at that. Rinoa elbowed Tifa.

"But Leon's definitely a keeper."

Leon, who had been loading their luggage for them, returned. "Well, you're all set to go."

"Thank you." Garnet shook his hand again, "And it was really nice to meet you, finally. Maybe next time we meet, we could throw a party? Some kind of ceremony." She said quietly with a wink.

Leon awkwardly gave a little nod at that and was then hailed by a Rinoa Hug.

"Boy, they grow them big out here." Rinoa said, barely able to get her arms around Leon's shoulders.

"Rinoa…" Tifa warned.

"I know, I know." Rinoa chuckled, but Leon felt a pinch on his backside all the same as Rinoa stepped away and boarded the train with her sister.

Tifa hooked her arm around his back as the train departed, waving after Rinoa and Garnet as they pulled away.

"Thanks for putting up with all that estrogen for two weeks." She said. "I appreciate it."

"Tell that to the three gallons of ice cream in our freezer." He replied.

..:-X-:..

A/N: The story that Tifa is telling at the beginning was taken from my Leon and Tifa oneshot Just Might Break Through, featuring Andalasia from Enchanted.