Thanks to Neroli and CassieE for the fast betas.

Wounds That Bleed

They were wrong. Seeing him with her wasn't what made her leave. It hurt, but it didn't drive her away. No, the blood, or rather the lack thereof, did it.

Nandi and Mal, she never realized how similar they were until they met. Both were too proud, too independent to know when to let things be. Mal was willing to go down with Serenity because of what it symbolized. Nandi refused to leave behind what she had built. And their families followed the decisions that each of them made.

They both defined and held together their families. Without them, would Serenity or the Heart of Gold ever be the same? Would the people?

Seeing the blood on Nandi's chest, seeing her friend gone, those images drove her doubts and fears home. If she stayed, Inara would only risk losing him. Buddha knows that they'd come close enough to losing him the other times. He wouldn't change - not for her, not for anyone. If she left though, she would leave on her own terms. When his blood stopped running, she wouldn't be changed because she wouldn't be around to see it.

Leaving would hurt. Staying would mean a piece of her would die when he did. If she stayed for that, she was scared that the wound it left in her heart would never stop bleeding.