A/N: Although this can be a stand-alone, its companions are 'My Rainbow and My Sky' and 'Conversations Past Midnight'. This is not as heart-warming as MRaMS, it's actually heart-wrenching at some rate, but still, this revolves around three main people - Lelouch, Nunnally and C.C. - so it falls under 'The Snippets of Three'. OMGyayZ, this is the fourth one!

This is set after Lelouch kicks the Damocle's ass, geasses Schneizel and Nunna-chan, and totally pwns the rest.

Enjoy reading, peoples.

The Sun

"His Majesty, The Emperor - Lelouch vi Brittannia!"

The crowd had gone into complete silence as the Emperor took his seat on his throne with an evil grin on his face. Lelouch eyed his audience with pleasure as he observed their conditions.

Struggling, frowning, scowling prisoners.

Ougi, Toudo, Tamaki, Kallen, the remaining Black Knights.

Kaguya. Xing Ke. The Tianzi.

Kanon. Schneizel.

Nunnally.

The girl looked up to glare at her brother's violet eyes, only to look back down again.

The others had their heads bowed - resigned to their fates.

They were all at his mercy now.

This is the plan.

"I hate you, brother." a whimper escaped from Nunnally. She didn't dare look up anymore.

Lelouch's smile grew wider.

This is his plan.

Jeremiah's voice again resounded in the main hall. "And Her Highness-"

The green-haired woman raised a hand lazily that signalled the man to shut up. Her pointed look told him she was annoyed.

C.C. took her seat beside Lelouch, her black gown trailing behind her gracefully, the stray ebony ribbons in her hair flowing with the wind. Her fluid movement and goddess-like appearance startled their audience, but when she looked at them emotionlessly, they drew her their strongest glares.

They hated her too.

According to plan.

"Still his whore, I guess." Tamaki's hiss was easily heard within the crowd. It was followed by a sniff from the girl who was kneeling on the floor. Everyone looked at Nunnally, who had turned to the Emperor and the Witch with tears trailing down her cheeks.

"What is it, Nunnally?" Lelouch's voice was jeering. He had a smirk plastered to his tone. "Scared of what I might say now?"

"I loved you!" the girl's broken voice filled the hall. Her gaze travelled to C.C., and she looked away in pain. "Both of you..."

A considerable amount of venomous stares was directed to the couple in front. But both their expressions remained the same.

"You two made me so happy." Nunnally sobbed. "...What happened to you?"

"We couldn't afford to choose a whiny little crippled girl over a claim to rule the world." C.C.'s authoritative voice broke the silence. Nunnally's broken look towards her turned to that of total agony as the woman continued her statements. "All those sweet nothings we shared then? That was just to pass the time, Nunnally. I was simply bored. What better way to spend your time than play pretend with a stupid blind girl?"

"Ordering ignorant people around like puppets?" Lelouch added.

"You took over the fun part." the witch pouted at him. "I was left baby-sitting."

"I don't want to spend every day wasting my time on someone who couldn't help me in my plans."

"How could you say that?!" Kallen screamed as she saw Nunnally break down into more sobs. Kaguya and the Tianzi had already rushed to either of the girl's sides to comfort her. "She's your sister!"

"As C.C. said, we couldn't choose her over the world." Lelouch shrugged.

"How dare you-!"

Lelouch laughed, then motioned something to Jeremiah who had taken Suzaku's place in the meantime. "Jeremiah, if you will do so."

"His Majesty, Lelouch vi Brittania, 99th Emperor of Brittania," the man started, reading from a sheet of paper. ",commands that all the prisoners present in this hall at this very moment are to be executed publicly two months from now."

Their reactions went according to plan, as well.

"Stop that."

Her voice broke his trance. C.C. found him sitting on the bed, head clutched in his hands, doing his best to stop the coming tears.

"You shouldn't be so weak."

"You said those things, too."

"I thought you knew how to lie."

"Not to her."

The woman kneeled in front of him, taking his hands in hers, forcing him to face her. "You always said 'do what needs to be done'." She stared at his violet eyes as he looked at her disbelievingly.

"It's not that easy!"

"Well, same applies to me!"

Lelouch was shocked at her words. "...You-"

"If I am capable of feeling concern for a liar like you, then how is it impossible for me to care for the sweetest girl I've ever met?", there was the slightest hint of a smile in her face and it comforted Lelouch. "I know it hurts, but you have to bear it. You're doing this for her."

"I've hurt her."

"Because you love her." she finished firmly. "Now shut up and fix yourself. You look horrible."

"Thanks." he smiled back slowly, squeezing her hands. She nodded solemnly, withdrawing her hands to stretch out her arms wide. Lelouch laughed a bit before surrendering. He let his head fall upon her shoulder and let her wrap her arms around his shoulders. He just sighed against her - maybe he cried. Or tried to. All he remembered was that he could't feel the tears threatening to come anymore.

It pained him every single time he insulted and laughed pathetically at his sister.

It pained him to hear his accomplice shoot nasty statements towards Nunnally.

It pained him to know that C.C. also felt the same way.

The plan is hurting everyone - it hurts him the most, yet the knowledge that someone is willing to ease the pain relieves him somewhat. When all is finished, he knows who will be the last to leave his side.

Or perhaps to know who will that person be means hesitating to end everything?

He knows that Nunnally will cry again and again. She could not possibly be capable of hating a person even if a person is evil. She would cry when she knows that he's leaving her, even though she hates him.

C.C. would not cry, but is that important? He knew when his witch's heart is getting torn - he doesn't need to see the tears to know when it is raining inside her heart.

Just the thought of leaving them both kills him.

"Your Highness, Master Lelouch?" a voice from outside the door was heard."It's me, Jeremiah."

"Come in." Lelouch finally lifted his head from C.C.'s shoulders, offering her his hand to help her stand up. She took it and placed herself beside him just as Jeremiah entered.

When he saw that his master was not alone, Jeremiah instantly stepped back. "Your Majesty, I am sorry to be intruding such a private-"

"Don't worry about it, Orange." C.C. drawled, amused by his expression.

"Come in and close the door behind you." Lelouch urged, and the man followed. He indicated the older man to take a seat, and Jeremiah quickly did so. "How is Suzaku?"

"He saw the whole thing.", the man lowered his head. "And he wants to know if you are alright. He was angry at first to what you and Mistress C.C. said, but he told me to check on you. He understands."

"Tell him I am fine." Lelouch smiled slightly, gripping C.C.'s hand. "We'll come by to see him later."

"Master, are you really feeling fine?" it was unlike Jeremiah to be impersonal, but he cared about Lelouch enough to drop his formality. Besides, they were in private quarters.

"I need to be." the young Emperor assured. "How is Nunnally?"

"She was sobbing when they were returned to their.. places. Lady Sumeragi and the Tianzi did not leave her side, as well as Miss Stadfelt. Prince Schneizel was also comforting her."

Nunnally finally stopped crying an hour after the announcement of their sentence. Both Kaguya, Tianzi and Kallen had taken turns on holding the girl as Schneizel, who was in the nearby prison quarters, said reassuring words to her. The others simply stared in pity and concern at the young princess.

When she stopped crying, nobody dared talk to her. The girl was in a daze as she leaned against a wall and looked up to see the starry night sky via a small window.

"Kallen-san," she called to the woman beside her. Kallen looked curiously and saw the girl's sad eyes once more. "What happens when the sky darkens and the rainbow loses its color?"

The pilot looked away hesitantly to glance at Kaguya's young lady nodded bitterly.

"Nunnally-chan, I... When that happens, there usually is a storm coming."

Two months later, that storm came.

The plan was executed perfectly.

"Brother, I love you!!!"

The storm has arrived, as Nunnally had known.

She cried, as Lelouch predicted.

"No, don't leave me! Onii-sama, no!!!"

C.C. was nowhere to be seen, as per his request.

"Onii-sama!!!"

The crowd cheered. The sentenced prisoners were released. The heroes reclaimed their titles. Zero once again made another miracle.

The Demon King is dead.

Nunnally should have known better.

Their love was genuine.

They were not lying to her when they painted that picture - how could she believe them when they said they chose the power to rule the world over her? How could she believe them when she knew that they loved her?

They lied when they said that - she should have seen through that.

They loved her - she should not have stopped believing. Because they still do.

How could the sun darken when the rainbow is still by its side?

She looked up and Zero wasn't there anymore.

She looked down and saw her brother's loving, smiling face.

"Nunnally." Cornelia's hand touched her shoulder. Schneizel stood beside her. "He's gone."

The girl did not budge. She didn't let go of her brother's hand. When she heard Jeremiah's bark of orders to get a stretcher for his master, she quickly turned to the man.

"Where is she?"

Jeremiah shook his head, smiling sadly.

Nunnally turned back to her brother's face once more and sniffed, forcing herself to smile.

You wouldn't have a rainbow once there is no sky.

"What do you say?"

That voice made her turn around.

"He is a good actor, isn't he?"

Nunnally smiled sadly at the beautiful woman standing by the doorway. "Yes, he is."

"He hated to lie to you."

She shook her head. "He wasn't lying. He was acting. It was in the script."

"It's a good thing you know that. He wanted you to enjoy it, you know."

"It was too dramatic.", her voice trailed off, shaking. "Too sad."

"He's always one for drama."

The girl laughed a bit. "Always." Then she lifted her violet eyes to address the woman directly. "Where do you go from now?"

The witch shrugged. "It's undecided."

The 100th Empress wheeled herself towards her companion. "Before you leave, may I have one last hug?"

The woman gave the girl what she wanted. C.C. kneeled in front of the wheelchair and was pulled in to a tight hug from the brunette. She returned the embrace and whispered something in the girl's ear.

Nunnally kissed her goodbye on the cheek and watched her turn around and dissolve into the darkness.

The rainbow had returned with its color.

That must mean the sky is back and in clear blue.

After all, they always come back after the storm.

"Nunnally," Zero entered the room. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

The young Empress had a smile on her face as she recalled what the witch had said.

'You are the sun.
He wants you to know that.
Without the sun, the sky won't be that clear and peaceful.
And without the sun, there would be no colors in the rainbow.'

She flashed him that same bright smile as she faced him.

"Tomorrow, the sun's gonna shine."

Because it definitely should.

And it definitely did.

The successor of the Demon Emperor turns out to be the Radiant Empress.

"Say, the sun's shining a bit too bright today, ne?"

"Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"

"Both."

The man driving the cart took off his hat and looked up to see his companion - a green-haired woman - peering down at him from the top of the small mount of straw that was their only other passenger. He scrutinized her curious expression with narrowed violet eyes before turning to look back straight ahead on the long road.

"I guess that's what the plan is all about."

"For the sun to be so glaring bright?"

"No, for you to get a nice tan."

He was hit in the head by a yellow plush. When did he agree that she could bring Cheese-kun along, anyway?

"If I had known that you just wanted me to have healthier skin, then I'd have busted this plan of yours a long time ago."

"So do you think a tan would fit your green hair?"

"That's the main reason I'm busting the plan, boy."

He looked up and smiled once again.

The sun is shining brightly, indeed.

.FIN.

A/N: Sorries for the overload of the words 'sky', 'rainbow' and 'sun'. Sorries for lack of the other characters. But I don't feel sorry for the way I wrote it, I guess. I'm just trying a new way to write things out but then I ended up messing up a new style and my old style.

But then I had fun writing this because.. it's darn long. For me, at least.

R&R, please! I want to know what you think of it. :D