I have an announcement to make. It's unfortunate, but necessary. I, Kira is on hiatus from now until I've finished 12th grade and the HSC. I'm not ending or cancelling anything, but don't expect any new chapters until the end of the year. I know this announcement will come as a disappointment, but it simply can't be avoided. In the meantime I might occasionally add to the wiki (assistance with that would be very much appreciated) and get things ready for the next arc of the story.

Thank you all for supporting me up to this point. I will return, I promise.

(oh also shoutout to AddriBlack for following I, Kira)

(Luci's POV, 18:12, July 22)

Aivenawa concludes the evening discussions with, 'The only thing left in the note is tomorrow at the bottom of the Galston Gorge.'

There was no-one with any suspicious devices on them at the Westfeilds Hornsby shopping mall, at least none who survived. But that criminal… none of my top three suspects were there that day, everyone there at the time was either interrogated and identified, or obliterated. Is the meeting really supposed to happen in the gorge? But how will they demonstrate their power to one another? I don't think there is any other hidden message on here, but I doubt they'd show up after what we did to the mall, and after we announced that this location will be even more fortified. Is the second Kira waiting for the first to come up with a plan to meet? Or…

'Luci, TTT has received another message from the second Kira. I'll send you the file over this computer first' I hear from Q through my laptop.

'Another message from the second Kira, you say? Start the video.'

The familiar "KIRA" title appears on the screen as-

'[Girly high-pitched inhuman screaming]'

Ah what the fuck?!

'Hey, Kira, I just met you, and this is crazy, I have your address so…'

They found Kira? This can only end positively. (That was sarcasm by the way). How did they find him?

'So, yeah, I was able to find Kira. People at the TV station, policemen, thank you all very much.'

At the shopping mall?! I made sure none of the suspects are there, in fact no-one from the entirety of Forbes High School was there! At least none that weren't killed instantly when the place was blown up. But there's no guarantee is was at the Westfeilds mall, or even at any of the places specified. Still…

'At this point I'd like to set up cameras in the Westfield Hornsby shopping center on the 21st so we can catch the second Kira on video.'

'Luci, the 21st was yesterday!'

'And if you had put cameras there when I had requested, then we would have some physical evidence, now, wouldn't we?'

'Yes. So, the Kiras have joined forces…'

'We can't be sure they're working together just yet. Until now, the second Kira has mentioned wanting to meet the first. Now, he or she mentions "finding" them. It's possible that Kira has merely been located, and the second hasn't made contact yet. I think we can say that at least as of this video being made, they haven't joined forces. If they had, I doubt the second Kira would make the announcement alone. Instead, I imagine they'd make a joint appearance together, like a crossover of their two video styles. And that's if they announced anything at all. Even if there was contact, it would be much more advantageous for us to be unaware of it. Can't this person even figure that out?'

Perhaps I've been fooled this entire time, perhaps this is all just a setup, perhaps… Nah, that's a dumb theory.

'At this point, we should send out a message directly to the second Kira.'

'Message?'

'Shut up Okada. As I was saying, we have the police and military pretend to offer the second Kira leniency in exchange for the identity of Kira. This will be even more effective if the first Kira doesn't know who the second is yet. Blackheart, would it be possible to make it sound like we're offering the second Kira immunity for information leading to the capture of Kira?'

'They've killed multiple innocent people that we know of, we can't-'

'We won't mention that. We'll just say something, like, that they'll be treated like a hero and we won't come after them? I want this done as soon as possible. It's 7:25PM right now, we should prepare something to run on every station at 8:55.'

'Yes, understood.'

'…Q? Do you have anything else to say?'

'Ah, yes, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that the wiretap detectors are doing what they're supposed to. The bad news is that they've detected wiretaps.'

(Ivan's thinking, 04:58, July 23)

I've arrived early this morning at the National Defense Control Center, the NDCC, where the War Cabinet meeting is to be held. The news from Ukraine had been phoned through to me yesterday evening, just as I had arrived at my apartment. I've been at the gym working out on the judo mat with Vladimir. I've already double-checked the arrangements for this morning's meeting, and now I'm just sipping some tea in the commander's office as I wait for Vladimir to arrive. In the corner of the office, various independent news outlets are running and re-running the massacres of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia. Young, hard-working, well-educated Russian protesters, many of them children and teenagers with their lives ahead of them, callously snuffed out by a fanatic's bullets. And all while peacefully exercising their democratic right to protest against the discrimination imposed on them by the Latvian and Estonian states which showed their true fascist colors within an hour of Operation Alexander commencing. Followed by desperate pleas for Russian protection, mothers and fathers in tears, fury on their faces, demanding that we save them and their families.

Meanwhile, Filatov is sitting nervously at his desk. The youthful-looking commander of the NDCC who, with his perfectly coiffed hair and full lips, looks more like a fashionable hairdresser than a general, clearly knows that this is a big day for him. It's rare for the War Cabinet to meet here and that means that he and his staff have been working tirelessly to get everything prepared. A bit unnecessary in my opinion.

Built on the banks of the Moscow River, the vast, classic edifice sends a powerful message about the perseverance and survival of the reinvigorated Russian state, after the chaos and weakness following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The new top-security fortified facility, with its brand new supercomputer in the heart of a state-of-the-art data processing center, secret transport routes for emergency evacuation and a helicopter landing site, is a visible manifestation of our inability to accept defeat even in the darkest of times.

'Sir', Filatov's Military Assistant interrupts, 'all the members of the War Cabinet are assembled and Vladimir Putin's helicopter is due in ten minutes'. Shortly afterwards, Filatov and I stand at the edge of the aforementioned NDCC helicopter landing site while the bulbous shape of Vladimir's preferred helicopter, an updated version of the tried-and-trusted Russian rotary-wing workhorse, the Mi-8 "Hip", lands in a tornado of wind, roaring engines and clattering motors.

The side door slides open, and the Russian president nimbly jumps out before giving us a small salute. Filatov anxiously leads him past the Guard of Honor, every man towering a full head above the rest of us, with burnished, gleaming jackboots, all presenting arms with the standard ceremonial firearm, the old SKS Semi-automatic carbine.

Then it's into the building with the doors spreading open automatically, into the lift, and down to the ballistically protected basement and the principal War Room, with its concentric rings of desks and banks of computers. Around the walls are interactive screens showing maps complete with icons indicating the positions of NATO and Russian formations during the advance through Ukraine and the two northern Baltics, together with satellite photographs of major incidents and battles. Other TV screens show live 24-hour "news" from propaganda outlets from Fox News to CNN.

As we walk onto the bridge overlooking the War Room, we're greeted by Sergey Shoygu, Defense Minister of the Federation, very much the tough-looking, twenty-first-century Russian general, in bizarre contrast to the coiffured Filatov. Shoygu quickly updates Vladimir on the ease in which Russian and Novorossiyan forces are cutting through our three current enemies.

'The first twelve hours of Operation Alexander have gone as planned, and since NATO expected us to begin at nighttime, we actually managed to catch them off-guard, which is rather amazing. At T+2 and a half hours, airborne landings at Riga airport and east of the city gave us out first foothold on the Latvian coastline. We've also received word that our first paratroopers to drop into Kiev have done so with minimal casualties. In Eastern Ukraine and North-East Estonia, our ground forces have mostly been welcomed by our until-now-oppressed Russian comrades, but things will become more difficult as they push past those regions into the non-Russian areas of all 3 countries.'

The door at the back of the bridge opens and there, around a circular table, stand the other members of the War Cabinet. On the walls are smaller screens showing the same maps and satellite images as in the main War Room. Flanking the screens are the same green curtains as in Vladimir's office in the Kremlin, also tied back with the same gold ropes. Behind Putin's chair there is only one decoration: the gold double-headed eagle of Russia on a red shield.

As Vladimir takes his seat, the aura of uncertainty is really starting to hit me. Ignorant of this, Shoygu continues.

'Our simulations predict that our air deployment should be successful at neutralizing the Latvian fleet around 90 minutes from now, and in 6 hours our tanks will reach Kiev to reinforce the paratroopers. 6 hours after that the last remnants of the Ukrainian military will likely no longer exist, and another 12 hours after that we'll have secure land connections between our borders and the capitals of both Latvia and Estonia. We'll also have all of North-East Estonia occupied by then.'

'…Ivan, you seem really tense.'

'If you had less vodka earlier you'd be too, Vladimir Putin', I honestly respond. 'All of this rests on two assumptions: That NATO will not join this war despite the fact two of its members are directly involved, and Kira won't change his mind about us being the good guys.'

'The western elitists already know that if they go to war with us, Kira will wipe them out. They're already struggling to recover from his little purge yesterday, the last thing they want is to be finished off. In any case, the west isn't stupid enough to start a war, that would end civilization, over three tiny countries in Eastern Europe! As for Kira, well, if he wasn't on our side we'd already be dead. Our EMP detonations couldn't have crippled every single internet-capable device in those 3 countries, in fact I bet the internet is exploding over this already. It'll be a wet dream for western propaganda, and thanks to Hillary's stupidity in America's election last year, they now have a perfect scapegoat to blame their defeat on.'

'If it's a defeat for them.'

'Stop worrying so much.'

'I'm just saying… They've dropped the bomb before. They won't hesitate to do it again.'

'Well Japan couldn't exactly fight back. Besides, it's not like that's the reason they surrendered any-'

A faint buzz from Vladimir's phone draw's his attention. Peeking over his shoulder I see it's from… Henry Kissinger?

'Putin, there are your military vehicles on our allies' territory. Get them out immediately!'

'What military vehicles are you talking about? These are just peaceful agricultural harvesters.'

'Oh yeah?! Even the helicopters?!'

'ESPECIALLY the helicopters!'

'I didn't know you have his number.'

'We met a couple times.'

(29 hours later)

As diplomats from all nations involved arrive and take their seats at the negotiating table, a new face catches my eye before she is the first to talk.

'Vladimir Putin, we're hon-'

'I've never seen you before, who are you?'

'You can call me M.'

'A bit unprofessional for them to send a new recruit in to represent them in such an important-'

'The usual choices are all either too scared or too dead to show up. In any case, I may be new to the elitists, but not to warfare. Hey, at least the big cheeto isn't here. He'd probably start going off on a tangent when someone jokes about his hand size and he'd say something like "Look at the size of this thing. Huge. Must be 18, 19 fingers on there."'

'…Okay, then. Now let's start getting to the point already. Our requests are simple. Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Ida-Viru and Eastern Latvia are all to be annexed into the Russian Federation, Sevastopol and Crimea are to be formally recognized as part of Russia as well, and the current regimes of Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine are to be replaced with new, neutral governments.'

Kharkiv and Eastern Latvia definitely weren't on Kira's list. This could end badly, very badly. But first let's see what this "M" has to say.

'We've anticipated such terms, and here's our deal. We will accept all those conditions, and in exchange you are to end all military and economic alliances with Serbia, Pakistan and China.'

'…Care to clarify?'

'Serbia is your only remaining ally in Europe, China has the largest economy and second-largest military on Earth, and Pakistan is the only Islamic nation with a nuclear arsenal of its own. You already know all of that, so is it a deal or not?'

'Listen, M, the integrity of the Latvian and Estonian states has collapsed, both countries are more than half occupied by our forces, Riga is now entirely under our military control, amphibious landings on Estonia are taking place as we speak, and one word from me will continue the operation into Lithuania, Poland and Finland. After all, the best way to remove your lies is to make them come true, so ironically your western fearmongering-'

'We accept your deal', I desperately interrupt.

'IVAN! …Fine, as he said we accept.'

Half an hour later, M and the other diplomats leave, and Vladimir turns to me with a deathly stare.

'Ivan, what's your plan?'

'We already know that Kira has attempted to contact various other countries the same way he contacted us, and we've already discussed how the unusual pro-Kira activities of many of those governments more or less confirm that at least some of them have accepted his offer for cooperation. Sure, we may have just lost Serbia, Pakistan and China as allies, but Kira is already soon going to have countless more on his side.'

'You're basically saying that the fate of our nation rest in the hands of a-'

'Yes. But with a virtually unwinnable war with the west as the only alternative, do we really have a choice?'

'…'

'Vladimir Putin, Ivan, you both need to see this.'

'What is it, Shoygu?'

'Two things, actually. First, it appears that Saudi Arabia is using the hysteria over all of this as a distraction. Here, he made this speech less than an hour ago.'

Without hesitation he pulls out his phone and shows us a video of the aforementioned speech on YouTube. My Arabic isn't that good but I can figure out what he's saying.

'People of Saudi Arabia! I come here before you to tell the world that they shall bow down before our mighty nation! We are two months away from enriching weapons grade uranium… To be used for peaceful… purposes! It will be used for medical research and clean energy, it will! And it will certainly never be used to attack Ira... to attack Ira… I'm sorry this is just so hard to say with a straight face!'

'…And the second thing, Shoygu?'

'The US has just announced that Canada will be holding a referendum on annexation into them. Obviously a majority of Canadians would hate the mere thought of such a thing, so it'll probably be rigged.'

'Those sons of bitches! They know they can't keep Canada on their side forever as an independent nation, so they think they can just annex the entire country and think we don't notice? Well, we probably still have some time before the annexation referendum, so we'll need to get Canada on an official pro-Kiran stance by then. This'll be hard.'