EXT. JAPANESE TRAINING CAMP. NEAR OCEAN-- AFTERNOON

TITLES: "JAPANESE TRAINING CAMP. JULY, 1945.

FOOTAGE IN THE FOLLOWING SCENES HAS A FORTIESH LOOK. A SLIGHT, CINEMA VERITE LOOK- ROUGH, UNEVEN SHOOTING, ESPECIALLY IN ACTION SCENES. SMALL, ABRIDGED SCREEN. The TRAINING CAMP is near BEACH. A small group of PILOTS are being trained in the martial arts. SMALL AIRFIELD is close-by. A CORPORAL runs up to the TRAINER, YUAN-KAN. All dialogue spoken in Japanese (or other languages) will have English Sub-titles, unless otherwise specified.

CORPORAL

(in Japanese)

I am sorry, Sir, but the mission is scheduled again.

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

Don't be sorry. It's a matter of duty.

CORPORAL

(in Japanese)

This may be your final journey. Do you have anything- to leave for your family?

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

I've already made arrangements with the Captain. They will be taken care of when I am gone.

CORPORAL

How can you do this- give up your life- when you have-?

YUAN-KAN

There are things that transcend even family, Corporal. I do this for my country, for my Emperor.

EXT. BEACH NEAR TRAINING CAMP. A FEW HOURS LATER. DUSK

Windy. KAMIKAZE PILOTS drink POTION together. They slap each other on back, then move out together towards AIRFIELD. CLOSE-UP OF solemn expression on YUAN-KAN'S FACE.

EXT. JAPANESE SQUADRON IN AIR- AN HOUR LATER

THE KAMIKAZE SQUADRON flies in formation besides other planes. STRANGE STORM. PECULIAR LIGHTENING, with greenish tinge.

EXT. AMERICAN AIR BASE- A FEW HOURS LATER

An AMERICAN FIGHTER SQUADRON is about to take off. THE SQUADRON LEADER, LLOYD KENTERSON climbs into COCKPIT and signals to the rest of his SQUADRON.

EXT. AMERICAN SQUADRON IN AIR- LATER

The AMERICAN SQUADRON is encountering the same unusual storm as the Japanese Squadron.

LLOYD KENTERSON

I can't see the end of it. Maxwell?

MAXWELL

(from another plane)

Damn unusual storm. The color of that lightening- it's uncanny!

EXT. JAPANESE SQUADRON IN AIR- MOMENTS LATER

Japanese Squadron spots American carrier and the American fighter squadron approaching it in the middle of lightening storm.

EXT. AMERICAN SQUADRON IN AIR NEAR JAPANESE CARRIER- MOMENTS LATER

Maxwell tries to speak over thunder to Kenterson.

MAXWELL

That's a Japanese carrier, Sir.

PORTER

(in another plane)

There's a Japanese attack squadron headed right at us!

Suddenly, a fire-ball whiz passes Kenterson, throwing his plane into a dive.

GEORGE KENTERSON

What was that!

MAXWELL

I don't know. It's not coming from the Japanese. It's coming from above us.

SHOT OF STORM CLOUDS.

MAXWELL (CONT'D)

Nothing there that I can see.

ANOTHER FIRE-BALL whizzes out of sky, straight through the JAPANESE SQUADRON.

PORTER

HOLY HANNAH!

GEORGE KENTERSON

Fire-balls or not, we're going after that Carrier!

As the American planes start to descend, they are attacked by the Japanese. As the first few American bombs explode helplessly yards away from the carrier, fire-balls whizz pass both squadrons as the planes twist and turn in a desperate dogfight.

BLINDING WHITE LIGHT.

The American Squadron is lost. So is the Carrier. CLOSE-UP of Japanese Squadron Leader. He is looking around frantically.

EXT. JAPANESE SQUADRON IN AIR- A FEW HOURS LATER

Squadron is returning to BASE.

INT. RESTAURANT NEAR JAPANESE AIR BASE-- EVENING

The Squadron members are drinking sake together, celebrating their survival.

EXT. JAPANESE TRAINING CAMP. NEAR OCEAN-- AFTERNOON

COURIER runs over to ring, where YUAN-KAN is sparring with five of the men. He stands at attention, outside the RING until Yuan-kan notices him. Yuan-kan motions him to come inside. He continues to stand at attention until yuan-kan comes to him.

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

You saw me motion for you to come in and speak with me.

COURIER

(in Japanese)

THIS IS EXTREMELY PRIVATE, SIR. I'M SORRY-

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

Go on!

COURIER

(in Japanese)

There was a terrible explosion- of unheard of proportions at Hiroshima. The City was destroyed.

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

Do you have any specific word of my wife and children?

CORPORAL

Not yet. Army headquarters is in total confusion.

INT. YUAN-KAN'S HOME ON AIR BASE. BATHROOM-- EARLY EVENING

Maid enters home of Yuan-kan. There are bottles of alcohol all over the floor. Yuan-kan is lying there, beside sword, bleeding all over floor, but still breathing.

INT. HOSPITAL. A FEW HOURS LATER- EVENING

Yuan-kan is lying on operating tables. Surgeons are putting instruments away.

SURGEON

His family was in Hiroshima. One of the best martial artists in Japan. But he lost the will to live.

OTHER SURGEON

Not enough of a will to die either.

SURGEON

Way too drunk. It's a wonder he got the blade in that far. He must have passed out immediately.

EXT. HOSPITAL- WEEKS LATER-- AFTERNOON

Yuan-kan is on bench, obviously recuperating and obviously depressed. A nurse comes over, offering him medicine, which he refuses. As she leaves, he unties a kind of service pack, tied around her waist. She doesn't notice it as he removes it. He stares at his medicine for a few moments. The grounds of the hospital are surrounded by a very large fence, topped with some kind of electrical/barbed wire contraption. Deciding to leave, he scrambles up fence- about three quarters of the way, then leaps over to tree, which he flings himself over to- and, continuing the momentous inertia, catapults himself over fence, where he catches on to another tree- and then drops along way down. SOUNDS OF ALARMS. Sentries are running towards gate as he charges through forest.

EXT. BY STREAM. FOREST-- LATE AFTERNOON

Yuan-kan kneels beside stream. He removes his shirt and, using it like blanket, places it in front of him. From the nurses pack, he removes a long, sharp knife and places it down in front of him.

YUAN-KAN

(in Japanese)

This time, beloved, there will be no mistake.

He sits there, looking at the instruments before him. Then he glances up at the mountain, which overshadows the forest. At the very top of the mountain is a strange, pulsating fire. The fire suddenly pulsates gigantically.

YUAN-KAN (CONT'D)

I must see this thing, beloved.

Puts the knife and instruments in his sack.

EXT. MOUNTAIN NEAR HOSPITAL-- DUSK

Yuan-kan is now racing up mountain. It is a spectacular climb, showcasing his unusual athletic stamina and gymnastic agility. Yet, before he can approach the summit, there is a practically perpendicular face, which he scales, barehanded, his fingers barely scraping from rock to rock. Once he nearly tumbles, but catches himself. As he reaches the end of the climb, and scales the face, the light from a slight slope above is practically blinding. Yet, he stumbles forward towards the light, falling at last, unconscious, his body bathed in the unyielding brilliance.

EXT. SUMMIT OF MOUNTAIN-- MORNING

Yuan-kan gets up. He is obviously dizzy and stumbling down the mountain, when he is attacked by a mountain lion. He struggles with it, knocks it out with a strange back-hand blow. Notices that it is not dead. He gets up, notices he is hurt, but manages to stumble down mountain.

EXT. JAPANESE TRAINING CAMP. NEAR OCEAN-- AFTERNOON

The camp seems isolated. A few technicians and servicemen are handling some machinery in the distance. CLOSE-IN on Yuan-kan, who is performing some kind of unconventionally hand and feet martial arts movements, while he is spinning around in a circle. CAMERA MOVES CLOSER, capturing serenity of face as he is spinning.