This is the second part of the story of the redone "Weight of Honor" I
need some help with a couple of the passages.  C+C much appreciated.

For Honor Part 1b (Tentative Title)

Ukyou looked up as she finished cleaning off the grill.  In her view,
Ranma sat there resting his head with both of his hands.  She could tell
he was in deep thought.  He had had a hard day today.  Akane stopped by
earlier and Ukyou could tell Ranma was thinking about Akane.  Knowing
what he was thinking about was a skill she had picked up while traveling
with him through China and being married to him for six months.  She
decided to let him rest a little.

"Oh well, I'm not the jealous type," Ukyou thought to herself.  After a
brief moment, "Well I guess I'd be lying to myself if I thought that was
entirely true."

There once was a time Ukyou would have been.  But she had won and knew
that Ranma was hers.  Despite his gender not being constant, she knew
his loyalty was.  Ranma and Akane were just friends now, they cared for
each other, but Ranma had given himself to Ukyou.

Ukyou continued thinking to herself as she worked.  "Back when I slapped
him, I was sure I had lost him forever.  Sure, Akane had hit him
thousands of times, but somehow, it just was different that I would hit
him.  I don't know why, but it was something that just wasn't acceptable
and I think Ranma felt it meant I didn't want to see him again."  Again,
Ukyou looked up to see her husband, but this time their eyes met.  Ukyou
beamed a smile for him which was returned in kind before they both were
back in deep thought.

Ranma started to stare at a small picture on the wall.  It was too small
for him to make out what it portrayed, but  it was something to fix his
eyes on.  He was sure Ukyou hated him when he was slapped.  "Hindsight
is twenty-twenty, that's what they say, but then it would have been al
long time before I figured that one out if it hadn't been for what
happened later that evening..."

***   ***

As Ranma got home, he was greeted by Kasumi who wondered about his new
marks on his face.  Akane looked up from her place in the living room to
see what her sister was looking at.  Just then, Nabiki comes in from
behind Ranma and throws her backpack on the table.

"Poor Ranma, I saw everything.  So you're still sulking about Ukyou
hitting you...you really are pathetic.  You just seem to know exactly
what to say to people Ranma."  Nabiki sarcasm bit into Ranma, but he was
unable to retaliate with Akane there to pick up where her older sister
had left off.

"So Ukyou did this to you.  Did she finally realize how much of a jerk
you are?"

"I don't want to talk about it..."  Ranma had lost the mood to fight
with anyone and headed up toward his room.

Ranma laid there on the futon for a good portion of an hour.  "I didn't
do anything."  "We were just kids then."  "Why is it that everyone
blames me?"  Slowly he turned his thoughts toward Akane.  "Why can't she
just listen?"  "Why is it that she has to be mad at me all the time?"
"Can't she see that it's pop who starts all of these messes?"

Ranma couldn't make heads or tails of his thoughts.  He was confused, he
couldn't understand why someone who seemed to like him had been cold to
him.  Ukyou never hit Ranma, well there were times she had, but never
because of something he had said.  It was usually because he had
deserved it, not that he didn't deserve what he got this time.  As for
Akane, she seldom showed any sort of kindness toward him.  They hated
each other from the start.  Even when they seemed to grow close, that
hatred was something that they were used to.  It was something
comfortable to hide behind.  But still, it was his obligation to marry
Akane.  It was something he may have gotten used to, if only she would
tell him how she felt.  Ranma was not good at showing his feelings and
he thought Akane knew that.

***   ***

"Maybe I was hoping she would break the ice.  It was something I just
couldn't do.  I had to be on the defensive all the time..."  Ranma
watched Ukyou leave out the back door to throw out the trash.  "Well at
least Ukyou knows I'm bad at that stuff."  It was true.  They seldom
told each other how they felt.  All they needed to do was look at the
expressions on each others faces for the assurance they needed.  Ukyou
was bad at expressing her feelings too, always too embarrassed to say.
It was something she had picked up while acting like a guy.  Guys just
don't tell each other their deep feelings.  But they knew their spouse
was happy to be together.  They showed it in their faces and when they
made love.  There were no words to express their bliss.

(This paragraph is a little awkward.  I would like some suggestions on
how to fix it please.)

***   ***

Dinner that night was made by Akane since Kasumi had to go see Dr. Tofu
for her check-up.  Kasumi would have left dinner on the counter for the
family, but it was Akane who insisted that she try her hand at a new
recipe she found.  Kasumi couldn't say no since she saw this as bridal
training hoped things would get better for her in the kitchen.

"What?  Akane cooked dinner tonight?"  An alarmed Genma jumped into the
pond to seek refuge.  Soun, happy her little baby had cooked dinner, but
not wanting to die from it suddenly had a town council meeting to
attend.  Nobody else was aware of this suprise since nobody noticed
Kasumi had left.

Nabiki, being the ever perceptive woman she is, did find out, but didn't
say anything in hopes of getting some cash out of Ranma.

After opening his bedroom door, Ranma sighs and asks, "Ok Nabiki, what
is it this time?" knowing instantly she was there to get something out
of him.

"Oh, I just wanted you to know that I talked to Akane and she's not mad
at you anymore."

"Really?  What did you say to her?"

"You'll find out soon..."  <What a fool, I think asking Akane to cook
dinner for Ranma is perfect revenge for not paying me yesterday.  I
guess this will be the interest...>  Nabiki was again being sly, but
wasn't going to let it show through her poker face.

"Thanks Nabiki."  Ranma should have known something was up since he
wasn't being charged for her services, but for some reason it didn't
occur to him.

"Since I know you don't have any money, I guess I won't ask you if you
wanted to come along with my friends and go eat out."

"Why would I want to hang out with a bunch of girls for?  Besides,
Kasumi's cooking is better than eating out."

"You're funeral."

Ranma found that remark strange, but didn't realize what it meant until
he went downstairs for dinner.  "What's that crap?"  On the table was a
bluish-gray mound of something with brown shapes that resembled
vegetables on a platter.  On the opposite side of the table was Akane,
sitting with a proud look on her face.  However, at Ranma's words,
Akane's smile melted into a menacing scowl.

"What?  Nabiki said you wanted me to cook tonight and you say its
crap?"  Thinking Ranma had a change of heart, or at least change of
stomach, wanted to eat a meal by her.  Even though she knew she was
horrible at cooking, she was still proud to finish a recipe.  But when
Ranma had refused any of her cooking, it was one of those things that
really made her angry.

"Uh, when have I ever said I wanted to eat toxic suprise?"  Again
Ranma's mouth was too loose and was rewarded by the head of a hammer.

"I know you don't have an excuse for not eating.  Besides, you could at
least try it before making fun of it."  Akane was glowing quite brightly
due to battle aura.

Ranma seeing this, did not want another hammer on his head, so
grudgingly, he took a spoonful.  Her cooking had improved.  There was no
flavor what so ever for a full second.  But soon, the taste of Ben-Gay,
lime flavored cough syrup and last year's fruit cake became too
overwhelming and natural survival instincts kicked in and forced the
concoction out of his body.  He was left with his mouth completely numb
and a spinning head.

"Oh man, you invented poison for cockroaches."  After spitting out as
much as he could, Ranma looked up to see that everything that once was
in his mouth was now on Akane's blouse.

"DIE RANMA!"  Ranma braced for yet another impact, but it was not enough
preparation for the blow he received.

As soon as he was able to see the door clearly enough, he bolted as fast
as one could with a room that spun and a blurry world outside the head.
He knew he was going to die if he stayed there, so he decided to take
his chances with Ukyou.  Shampoo would have found that the state Ranma
was in a perfect opportunity to slip him something he didn't want.  The
worst thing Ukyou would have done was hit him again, but the chances of
that were slim.  Besides he was ironically hungry despite the events he
fled from.  He was out of money and Ucchan's was the only place where he
could have both free food and a moment of peace.