Ranma burst through the door to Happosai's room, ready to wring the old 
freak's neck. But first, he was going to tell them all just who the heck that 
mysterious guy was, and what those monsters were. 
    But Ranma's thoughts came to a screeching halt when he saw the old man. He 
stopped short, and everyone else plowed into his back as they followed him into 
the room. 
    "Ruh ... Ranma ... c'mere, boy..." Happosai croaked. He lay on the bed as 
though he were barely clinging to life, his eyes swollen and bloodshot. Ranma 
had never seen him in a more pitiful state. He noticed there was no monitoring 
equipment hooked up, but didn't think much of it. 
    "Geez ... what happened, anyway?" Ranma asked as he approached the bed. 
    "The doctors said he had a heart attack," Kasumi replied, "...But, Father, 
don't you think that's a little premature...?" 
    Soun and Genma sat against the far wall, dressed in ceremonial robes and 
chanting continuously while rubbing Shinto beads in their hands. There was a 
large wooden sign between them which read 'Peace be with the soul of Master 
Happosai', and a photo of Happosai in his panty-raiding mask was also pasted 
onto it. Candles and incense burned at the foot of the sign. 
    "...Ranma..." Happosai croaked again, and the chanting increased. Ranma 
bent closer to hear what the old man was saying. "It's ... about ... that ... 
boy ... urgh ... that boy...!" 
    He winced, then went limp. Ranma was too stunned to speak, and the chanting 
abruptly ceased. The room was silent. 
    After a moment, Soun spoke. "Is ... is he dead?" he asked. 
    "He is ... he's dead." Genma answered grimly. The two men looked at each 
other and nodded. 
    "Oh my," Kasumi said. 
    Soun and Genma jumped to their feet. "HE'S DEAD!!!!!!!!" They shouted out 
for the whole world to hear. Quickly, they reached into their pockets-- 
    --And drew out a set of markers, with which they proceeded to deface 
Happosai's photo, and write obscenities on the sign. Everyone watched in 
disbelief. 
    "HEY, KNOCK THAT OFF!!!" Happosai yelled, causing all those present to fall 
to the floor in shock, having nearly suffered heart failure themselves. 
    "Aw man, I knew he was fakin'!!" Ranma exclaimed, clenching his fist in 
fury. "All right, old freak, spit it out! What the heck is goin' on?!" 
    "Yeah, who is that guy anyway?" Ukyo added. 
    "And what were those monsters sneaking around in our house last night?!" 
Akane demanded. 
    Happosai assumed a posture of wisdom and lit his pipe, as everyone leaned 
closer. "I'll tell you what I know..." he began, then looked Ranma in the eye. 
"Listen well, young Ranma, for your future may well be at stake here. Not only 
your future, but the future of the entire school of Anything-Goes martial 
arts!" 
    "Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before," Ranma scoffed. 
    "WELL THIS TIME I MEAN IT!!!!!!!!!" Happosai shouted in Ranma's face, 
nearly bowling him over. 
    He resumed his dignified pose, then began speaking in a more serious tone 
than they could recall having heard him use previously. 
    "Before I came to Nerima, I travelled across Japan seeking out worthy 
opponents, in order to test my Kempo skills. While in Kyushu I heard of an 
incredibly skilled youth named Tatsunada Fushin, who was training himself up on 
Mount Aso. I was curious about him, so I climbed the mountain in order to find 
and challenge him." He stopped, then looked at Ranma. 
    "Ranma. About how old would you guess Tatsunada Fushin is?" 
    Ranma scratched his head, confused. "I dunno, sixteen or seventeen, I 
guess. About my age." 
    Happosai nodded, then continued. "I met him at the peak, and he looked 
exactly the same then as he did yesterday. Green hair, fancy headband, eyes ... 
like a snake." He cleared his throat, then continued. "We fought. He was truly 
an incredible fighter for one so young ... much like yourself, Ranma." 
    Ranma was surprised by the compliment, but no one else took notice. 
Happosai continued without pause. 
    "Our battle lasted for hours. I have never met such an opponent -- he 
fought with such fury, it was as if he were possessed by the spirit of a 
samurai ... or maybe even an oni. Finally, the battle came to a conclusion..." 
He bowed his head. 
    "...And I was defeated." 
    Everyone gasped. Not even Cologne could defeat Happosai in a decisive 
battle! 
    "Master ... you, you lost?! To that boy?! But HOW??" Soun stammered. 
    Happosai ignored him. "When the battle was finished ... Tatsunada Fushin 
told me that he would spare my life on one condition ... that one day, when I 
had found a worthy successor, he would return ... and defeat that person, 
making my legacy his own." He bowed his head in genuine shame. 
    "And you ACCEPTED!" Akane said angrily. 
    "Of course I accepted!" Happosai snapped. "I didn't have any choice! He 
could've killed me -- and he would have, too!" But then he grinned 
mischieviously. "But I got him back. I showed him." He nodded, his grin 
widening. "When he turned to leave, I used my final attack and knocked him off 
the mountaintop to his death!" 
    There was a very uncomfortable pause, then everyone heaved a disgusted 
sigh. "So," Ranma declared, "You took a cheap shot at that guy, and now he's 
back for revenge. You deserve it, you old freak!" 
    "But he was DEAD!" Happosai insisted. "I saw his body with my own eyes!" 
    "Well then, your eyes ain't workin' too good!!" Ranma shot back. 
    Happosai sighed, and continued his story. "Exhausted from my battle, I 
rested awhile before travelling back down the mountainside. As I was 
recovering, I saw a huge flash of light, brighter than any light I've ever seen 
before or since then, flare out before me. I'm sure it could be seen for miles 
around." 
    "Was it the vengeful spirit of Tatsunada Fushin, or an incredible technique 
that he'd summoned to destroy you?!" Soun asked anxiously. 
    "Nah, I bet it was just a GOD comin' down outta the sky to congradulate you 
on your great victory," Ranma snorted sarcastically. 
    Happosai continued speaking as if nothing else had been said. 
    "When I returned from Mount Aso ... I learned that the United States of 
America had just dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki."