6 Years Prior – Sihnon

"You'll be all the way on the other side of the moon, Nari," 14-year-old Amaya whined. Today was the day Inara was leaving to study with the Guild. Amaya helped carry Inara's bags to the shuttle. Her mother, Olivia, wept and waved goodbye to her firstborn daughter. Inara stopped when Amaya spoke.

"I'll be on the Cortex," Inara said.

"It's not enough. It never will be," Amaya said dolefully.

"Stop that, mei mei. I'll be by to visit the first chance I get. I'll never truly leave you, will I?"

"Oh, 'course not," Amaya said, then looked up with a smirk and said, "Go get schooled."

Inara looked at her sternly and said, "You too. No more skipping out."

"Yes, mǔ."

They embraced each other, Amaya wrapping her arms tightly around her big sister's neck, breathing in her flowery perfume. She knew she wouldn't be seeing Inara anytime soon, in lieu of her sister's promises.

They broke contact, and Inara walked toward the shuttle and was welcomed aboard by an older companion.

Amaya watched the shuttle take off, and walked with her sobbing mother back to the transport. Her father, Victor, nervously got out and ushered her mother into the vehicle.

"We must hurry!" Victor exclaimed.

Amaya could sense that something wasn't right with her father. Something happened. Something bad.

"What's happening, Papa?" Amaya asked.

"Now, child! I will explain later! Into the transport!"

Amaya looked back behind them, expecting to see Alliance patrols cruising up to them, but instead, a crew of large men, each with a different insignia on their face, rode up quickly. Amaya barely just made it in the transport when her father took off at top speed, hoping to lose them.

They sped down a brightly lit city road, veering left and right, turning corners at top speed, in an attempt to shake the strange men.

"Papa?"

"Do not worry your head about it, child. Everything will be fine."

But Amaya was worried. The men were gaining on them, and it looked to be hopeless. Suddenly, though, she watched as the men behind her began to slow down. She smiled, even let out a little laugh.

"They're stopping! Papa, they've stopped!"

As Amaya turned back in her seat, it was barely a second before she could register the other transport in front of them, blocking the road. Their vehicle t-boned right into it. A sickening crunch of metal against metal was echoing in Amaya's head. Her mother was no longer sobbing. In fact, she wasn't making any sound at all. And the last thing Amaya heard before blacking out was her father vehemently apologizing to her. For what, she didn't know.

But she soon would.

"Inara never wrote, obviously. Or if she did, I never got them. It's almost a good thing, too. They would have found her."

Amaya took a deep breath. She was exhausted, even though she had just woken up. Simon looked at her intently.

"Does Inara know…any of this?" he asked cautiously.

She looked away. "I couldn't tell her."

"You have to, Amaya. She needs to know. She thinks your parents are still alive."

Amaya nodded.

"Would you like to continue?"

"It's food!" the intercom blared. Simon smiled.

"Saved by the dinner bell. You're doing well, Amaya. How do you feel?"

"A little better. Thank you."

"Feeling up to some supper?" Simon asked, hoping to coax her out of Inara's shuttle.

"I think so," Amaya said. She even managed a small smile as she followed Simon down to the kitchen.

"So, Amaya," Wash started carefully. "Tell us what Inara was like as a kid. I mean, she couldn't always have been so…" Wash trailed off after catching a glare from both Inara and Zoë. "What?"

"You don't have to answer that, Amaya," Inara said, as she shoveled more food onto Amaya's plate.

Amaya nervously pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and smiled slyly. "It's okay. I don't mind." At that, Wash straightened up in his seat, and Jayne leaned in further. Inara just rolled her eyes. Men, she thought.

"She was…shy and always getting me in trouble."

Inara scoffed. "I did not! You were the one getting yourself in trouble; Papa simply asked me what you were up to. I wasn't going to lie to him. How are they, anyway? I haven't heard anything about them in…well…since I left."

"And you never thought to ask?" Amaya said angrily. "You leave and think that everything you left behind is just going to stay the same until you come back? Only it didn't, Inara. Everything…everything just…" She stood up abruptly. She caught Simon's glance. He pushed her with his eyes, pushed her, wanted her to tell Inara, but she couldn't. Not in front of everyone. Not like this. "I'm sorry. I…I can't. Excuse me."

And with that, she ran from the kitchen and as far from the dining area as possible.

"Amaya!" Inara called after her, but if Amaya heard, she ignored it. "I'm sorry. I'll be back."

Simon stood also. "Inara, maybe…I can help."

Inara stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. They both headed after her.

"Well…that was weird," Jayne said. "Think she's coming back?"

"Back? To the…table?" Kaylee asked, confused. "Dunno. She looked awful upset."

"Mmm. Shame," Jayne said, as he took Amaya's plate and started to scrape it onto his.

"Jayne! Put it back!" Mal yelled, in the most stern captain voice possible.

"What? If she ain't gonna eat it, it'll just sit here."

"Then it'll sit here. Put. It. Back."

Jayne grumbled and put Amaya's food back on her plate. The rest of the crew went back to eating in silence. That was, until Wash cracked a joke as usual.

"Amaya! Please!" Inara called after her sister, who ran far off ahead of her. "Is this…is she okay? I mean, this just…this isn't like her," Inara asked Simon.

"I, uh…I'm not going to lie to you, Inara. She's gone through some sort of trauma. What it is, I can only guess. We only got so far before dinner. But if I had to guess, I mean…it's bad."

"How bad is bad, Simon?"

"I'm just guessing here, but obviously there's been some mental and emotional abuse. Most likely, physical abuse. There are contusions and bruises. And…possibly…sexual abuse as well. But as for that, she hasn't said anything. And she likely won't. This trauma…it happened over a long period of time. Years."

Inara closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "My God," she said quietly. "What have I done?"

"You couldn't have known, Inara," Simon said, sympathetically. "There's no way…"

Inara wasn't listening, as she continued after her sister.