A/N: Yeah, sorry it's not that long, but I thought it was important enough to be its own little chapter. Again, reviews welcome!
Chapter Nine
The jet ski rental was all too happy to oblige them each with respective vehicles, and after they had shown them ID's (to verify each of them were at least 16 and thus old enough to drive them) and paid for their time slot, they were each helped onto a floating vehicle and walked out to the area where they could start their engines and move out into the bay. Riko got her own vehicle while the rest split into pairs, as it would mean spending less on the rental fees in renting less machines. Sadie got on behind Risa, too intimidated and afraid she would crash to want to drive it. Riku, of course, shared with Daisuke (who, after much passive debate between the two of them, finally gave in and let Riku give him driver's seat first- he was the only person she'd ever insist upon coming before her in anything). They all had to stifle smiles when Hiro yanked Kairi onto his, while she looked terrified and at the same time absolutely flustered as she wrapped her arms around his middle. Finally, Sumi convinced Kaito onto the back of hers, him insisting it was only if she drove and her telling him that it'd be his turn out there. With that the nine of them plugged along the straightway into the buoy-marked skiing area and pinned their gas pedals to the handlebars.
Risa spent much of the time terrifying Sadie with her speed as she chased and raced Riko around. Sadie eventually relaxed into it and even started cheering Risa on as they sped and gliding from buoy to buoy, splashing through the expanse of the area in record time. Riku came in at one point, Dai behind her, and flipped her ski to the side to sent a wave of cool bay water at Risa. Splattered and laughing in surprise, Risa floored her jet ski after the quickly-departing Riku, behind whom was her boyfriend making faces at them. Hiro and Kairi joined their races, too, but spent about an equal time chasing a bunch of seagulls who were obviously lost and had decided to float on the surface of the water. Sumi and Kaito were never real challengers in their chasing games but kept up pretty well, Sumi not quite willing to unleash the full horsepower of her equally-matched jet ski. After half an hour the couples switched drivers, with the exception of Risa and Sumi, whose partners hotly refused to take the handlebars.
Soon they were off again, Risa now chasing Daisuke as Riku jeered at them joking from the back of the ski. Kaito turned out to be a rather deft driver despite his assertions to Sumi not to let him drive, as he kept up with them better than Sumi had. She, of course, merely used this as an excuse to give him a hard time, which he took gamely, smiling. Riko was equally as challenging as Daisuke, often passing both Risa and his as they attempted to catch each other. Kairi screamed the first time she pushed the gas pedal, looking both terrified and thrilled as it accelerated. For about the next 10 times she hit the gas she let out a very audible squeal, but soon enough Hiro had her racing around the buoyed lot with a huge smile on her wind-beaten face. By the time their hour was up, every last one of them was breathless with laughter and tussled by the wind.
As the officials back by the shore started to motion them in, Risa let her laughter slowly fade to a huge grin as she eased off the gas pedal, aiming her nose at the straightway back to shore.
"Not too bad, Harada." Riko called over from her jet ski. "You actually managed to keep up!"
Risa stuck out her tongue at her, laughing with her and flashing her a wink. It was then she looked up, as if some uncontrollable urge controlled her, directed her eyes to the little lunch café that stood a story above the rental place, over a dinner restaurant and overlooking the bay where they just rode. In the huge, open window of the café she could make out a boy, gazing down at her from behind the thick rims of huge, black glasses, the afternoon sun catching on his sapphire-blue hair. It was then, at that moment that her entire body froze and her stomach pitched inside-out, that she knew it was true. Satoshi Hiwatari was at Bethany Beach, and that was him. Up there in that little lunch place watching her.
But just as soon as she'd caught sight of him, in a blink he had disappeared.
"What's up, Risa?" Sadie asked from behind her, leaning around her to look into her face. "You're up."
Risa blinked a bit and turned back to the straightway, where the officials were motioning her in after her sister and Daisuke. "Yeah," Risa replied, shaking her head as the surprise slowly eased into a gaping emptiness. "Just thought I saw something, that's all."