Extra 1: What If Kaiser Got Married

Thirty years in the past...

A news anchor sat in front of the camera, smiling as a script went by. “Today, the top dual Hunter Hero, Kaiser Ravenstein, married his long time partner, and star-studded researcher, Noelle Bellarose. Will this impact either of their careers? Stay tuned because we have an expert panel lined up ready to talk about this exact thing.”

---

Years passed, and one night, Noelle cracked open the door, kicking off her shoes and collapsing on the couch. Her white hair fanned out before Kaiser came over to help her up. Laying against the couch she stared at the dim ceiling light. “Had my appointment today, they said they’re not sure if I’ll ever have children. My body’s been wrecked from overwork over the years...”

“That’s... not surprising,” Kaiser sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “You work more than double my hours. Why not ease off after this project? Before there are more health issues.”

“I will, I will,” Noelle sighed before pushing herself forward to grab a report sticking out of her bag. “We’re almost at the clinical trials for this project. Just another month or so, and then I can rest. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight though, don’t wait up for me.”

Kaiser put a hand over the report and gave Noelle a concerned look. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“... Day before, I think, or yesterday, it’s all blurred together,” Noelle answered before moving her report and putting it on top of Kaiser’s hand. “Don’t worry about me. You’re not going to be able to stop me anyway.”

“... Alright, just take care of yourself,” Kaiser moved back. He pointed towards the kitchen, “Would you like some food? I can make some for you before I sleep.”

“Oh, that’d be lovely, could you make me some noodles please?” Noelle looked up and smiled. “Thank you, love.”

“Of course,” Kaiser walked off to the kitchen. A few minutes later the sound of chopping filled the air, then, another half-an-hour later, a steaming bowl sat on the kitchen table. “It’s ready, if you want it now.”

“Coming, coming!” Noelle blinked the fatigue out of her eyes as she lurched up from the couch. Once she sat down in the chair, her shoulders relaxed as the aroma filled the nostrils. “Amazing as always.”

As she ate, Kaiser brought up another topic: adoption.

“Given what the doctor said, would you like to adopt? Once this project is over you should have more time, right? You’ve wanted children for a while,” Kaiser proposed. “I have a friend who runs an orphanage, so I can ask him to introduce us.”

“Mn, sure, my health issues don’t seem like they’re treatable,” Noelle slurped her noodles. With her ever-callous attitude towards her own health, Kaiser gave her a look, which she dodged, before murmuring a quiet. “I’ll try and work less...”

“Good,” Kaiser stood up from the table. “I have an early shift tomorrow, so I’ll head off now. But I’ll do the preparations, so you can just focus on  your project.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Noelle answered before pulling out the documents she had been looking at earlier.

---

A couple months later, another announcement shocked the world.

Kaiser, the number two hero and the number two hunter, was retiring. Why? Because he had adopted a child named Roxanne. When faced with the barrage of reporters and their never-ending stream of questions, he answered while holding the still young Roxanne. “I want to enjoy life. I’ve been working for decades now, and it’s a dangerous line of work. My body’s getting older, and I’d like to retire before I get a life-changing injury. I already ache enough, you know?”

---

Four years later, the couple adopted another child:

Slade.

The years flew by, and before they knew it, the house had become lively.

“ROXANNE! GIVE MY LAPTOP BACK, I HAVE HOMEWORK I NEED TO DO,” Slade ran through the halls, chasing Roxanne who rode atop a small green dragon. Pressing his hand against the wall, he prepared to send a rock spike forward to knock her off, only to have a hand immediately press against his head.

“What did I say about powers in the house?” Noelle’s stern voice filled the hallway.

Immediately, both Slade and Roxanne stopped in their tracks. Roxanne, under Noelle’s fierce gaze, returned the laptop with an apologetic smile. “I shouldn’t have taken it.”

“Good,” Noelle chimed in, walking back to her office.

Kaiser, who had been sitting in the office with her, just shook his head. “No need to be so harsh with them.”

“Someone has to, and it sure isn’t going to be you. You’re too soft with them,” Noelle went back to work. Her hands flew across the keyboard. “They’re both so powerful, we have to make sure they know to not use their powers carelessly. They cannot be allowed to abuse the privilege they were born with.”

“True,” Kaiser leaned back into his chair, scrolling through recipes. “Anything you want for dinner, dear?”

“Anything will do, just something filling, add some extra vegetables for the kids,” Noelle slid blinked a couple times. “How’s your new position though? Has the teaching been nice?”

“Oh it’s been really nice,” Kaiser smiled. “They kids are great, they pay well, the hours are good, and it’s easy work.”

“Wow, sounds heavenly,” Noelle shook her head as words continued to fill the page. “Maybe I need to change careers sooner or later...”

“Well, you’re a natural workaholic, so I feel like you’ll be working yourself to the bone, no matter what career you have,” Kaiser looked up from his phone to Noelle. “Like right now. That project does not need your supervision, your subordinates are so diligent. You’ve trained them well.”

“I... guess, I just can’t sit well though, even knowing that, I should at least take a look, I’m still young enough to be working these hours,” Noelle grumbled. “Don’t worry, I’ve been easing off on the hours.”

“You still work too many hours,” Kaiser shook his head. “The doctors have said your health has stabilized. If you work a little less, you might actually become healthier. What if we take a family vacation sometime?”

“That’s... not the worst idea,” Noelle’s hands paused. “I’ve really wanted to go see the snow sometime...”

“And your real body will come, right?” Kaiser gave her a look.

“Of course!” Noelle raised her hands off the keyboard. “Who do you take me for?”

“And you’re not going to leave a clone of yourself behind, right?” Kaiser raised his eyebrows once more.

Noelle fell silent. “... S... Sure...”

“I’m going to need a yes or a no,” Kaiser rolled his eyes.

“Yes... I won’t...” Noelle murmured as she continued working once more. “I need to get ahead on work then. Go keep the children company, I can concentrate better without you here.”

“Alright, I’ll book the trip then, two weeks from now sounds good?” Kaiser stood up. “It lines up with a school break so the rest of us will be free.”

Noelle flashed an ‘ok’ hand sign. “I’ll be there.”