EPISODE ONE: Ryoko Ressurected / The Protector Awakens
-CHAPTER ONE-
-The Battle For the Keys-

Katsuhito Masaki paused and looked around. "Tenchi!" he
called. He scanned the landscape, then noticed the cleaning
supplies that were still lying on the steps. "Hmm." He mused
as he made his way, quietly, up to the Shrine.

Within the Shrine, Tenchi searched hurriedly for the keys to
the gate. "Where did he put them?" he asked himself.

Tenchi was in his late teens. His dark hair was cut short in an
unruly approximation of a 'flat-top' with a small ponytail in
the back. His dark eyes were a little wider than those of most
boys, giving his face an almost girlish quality which stopped
just short of looking actually feminine. He wore a pair of jeans
and a plain t-shirt. Upon his feet he wore Japanese style sandals.  He
was a typical Japanese high school student. Hestudied hard, got passing
grades in most of his classes and was fairly well-liked by most of the
other students. He had a bit of trouble with the female students. They
made him feel terribly self-conscious. He was never quite sure what to
say to them. That was one of his flaws.

Another was his rather insatiable curiosity about the Demon's Cave.

The door of the Shrine opened to reveal a small cat sleeping upon
the porch. The cat was a stray who, like Tenchi, came to visit
every summer. Tenchi, who had neither the time nor money for a pet
of his own, liked to think of this stray as his cat. However in
deference to its true owner, he simply called it "Kitty", since he
didn't know what cat's actual name.

"It was curiosity that killed the cat, Tenchi."

Tenchi whirled to find his grandfather just behind him. He stumbled back
in surprise, nearly falling over.

Katsuhito held a set of keys up. "I bet you were looking for these." he
grinned.

"So, that's where they are." Tenchi covered his mouth with a mumbled
"Oops."

"You weren't trying to sneak in there against my orders, were you?"

"No, I wasn't." Tenchi replied. It was an outright lie and they
both knew it.

"It is the ancient law of this Masaki Shrine." Katsuhito told his
grandson. "And you are no exception to that legacy. But, really, you
want to see what's in there, don't you?"

Tenchi's face took on a decidedly cheerful look as he nodded .

His grandfather dangled the keys casually. "Here they are," he jingled
them just a little. "if you can take them from me. Let's see how good
you really are."

Tenchi paused to consider his best strategy, then lunged forward with a
wide punch which his grandfather blocked easily.

Katsuhito tripped his grandson and sent him tumbling across the room and
into the closet. He stood up and turned to Tenchi, who was lying
sprawled out on the floor, half in the closet. "Work harder." He told
him. "And remember, your chores are part of your training." He left the
Shrine without any further comment.

"Hmm?" Tenchi muttered. He couldn't say anything more, however, for
dangling from his lower lip was the ring upon which hung the keys to the
Demon's Cave.