Mikey here, with another Code Geass fic. Here, we'll go through the life of Lelouch if he'd never stumbled into the terrorist truck, gotten his Geass from C.C., and became Zero, leader of the Black Knights - thus, the title, "A Fate Reset". This'll span a number of chapters, and will mostly be centered around a blossoming relationship with Shirley, but there'll be other focuses involved as I rewrite Lelouch's destiny.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters.

As Lelouch Lamperouge and Rivalz Cardemonde sped down the Tokyo Settlement streets, both wore grins. Lelouch's was because of the book he read in his best friend's sidecar, using his thumbs to press down on the pages tightly against the rushing wind, but was also in part to having just made quick and embarassing work of an obnoxious noble at chess. Rivalz' was pertaining to the winnings Lelouch's victory brought them, a prize the nonchalant young man was indifferent about keeping all to himself.

Thinking of ways he could spend the money Lelouch was giving him to impress a certain blonde back at the school they were returning to, a new thought crossed his mind. "Hey, Lelouch. Weren't we supposed to be having an important meeting for the school festival today?"

"I suppose we were," Lelouch answered simply, not taking his eyes off his book. "I don't think Madam President will be too upset if we're a little late, though. She seems to have accepted us being gone for a few hours as a routine occurance."

"What about Shirley? I don't think she'll be as forgiving as the Prez."

Lelouch didn't move his eyes from the page still, but stopped reading the text. Shirley, the spirited orange-haired who had a massive crush on him, always scolded him about his gambling and ditching when they returned from their latest conquest at a casino. She was a little tiresome when she did, but truth be told, she calmed down quickly, and was an otherwise very pleasant person to be around - or have around, as it was usually the case with her. "I'm sure she'll -"

Just as he started, he was cut off by his cell phone going off. Taking it out of his jacket pocket, he identified his caller, and wasn't at all surprised who it was. With a sigh, he turned it on. "Hey, Shirley."

"Lulu! Where are you right now?" she demanded over the phone, walking along the outside corridors to the student council room.

"I'm heading back to school with Rivalz right now," he said calmly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"So the two of you have been out gambling again, huh? Just wait until you get back here!" she threatened.

"Bye, Shirley," Lelouch said apologetically, and hung up his phone. He put it back into his jacket pocket as he let out another sigh, then the smile was able to break through, slightly curving one side of his mouth as he thought about what was to come when they returned to Ashford.

- XXX -

"I don't understand how you can be so leniant with them, Madam President," Shirley Fenette said, arms crossed. For about ten minutes now, she, Nina Einstein, and the student council president Milly Ashford had been waiting inside the student council room for the two male members to arrive, and of course, they were brought up as part of their conversation.

"Everyone needs some sort of extracurricular activity," Milly responded with a smile and a shrug. "It's not really my place to judge what others do for fun, especially when I come up with crazy and whimsical celebrations for the entire school to participate in."

"Yeah, but..." Shirley started, but didn't have the words to continue. She knew Milly was also against the boys' illegal practices, but didn't have a special reason for doing so, like she did.

A moment later, voices could be heard outside the door, which was then opened by a beaming Rivalz. Lelouch also had a pleasant expression on his face as the two walked in. "Hey there, ladies," Rivalz said, taking the seat closest to Milly, who sat on the table. "We've back, and ready to start planning for the festival!"

"So I take it by your smiles that you won again?" Milly asked the two, then glanced out over at the window. "Good for you. Hey, do you guys know where that fire's coming from? It looks pretty big to be making that much smoke."

All eyes turned to the window, where they saw a dark plume of smoke rising miles into the sky in the distance. "That looks like it might be in the Shinjuku ghetto," Lelouch surmised, immediately thinking it might be the act of Japanese rebels. For a few years, Lelouch had followed the stories of the Japanese resistance fighters, hoping that they would be granted with a miracle and crush Britannia, like he so wished he could himself. However, he knew the chances of the "terrorists" were virtually nonexistant, and that Britannia extinguishing them was imminent.

The majority of Brittanians, like his friends, though, quickly waved off the resistance rumblings, too caught up in their own affairs to pay much mind to the Elevens' struggles. He attributed their obliviousness to the Brittanian media, who used the small battles waged to further the image of the all-powerful nation, wanting to keep the people in a sedated happiness. But he knew better.

Milly shrugged, then turned back to the group with her smile renewed. "Alright, so here's what I want to happen. Nina, I'd like for you to go down to the storage houses, and inspect the booths we used last year. If they haven't been eaten by termites, then we'll use them again. But if they're not in very good condition, then please order some more from the same carpenters we've been using in the past, 'kay?"

Nina, who had been sitting at the computer in the corner quietly as usual, nodded. "I'll go now, Madam President," she said timidly, then scurried off to start her task.

"Shirley and Lelouch, the two of you will go down to the copy room, and print out a couple hundred of these flyers that Nina designed for the festival," Milly continued, holding up a brightly colored poster advertising the upcoming extravaganza. "Once you're done, go around school and put them up, alright? I don't expect you to finish today, but I want at least half of the school covered in these, got it?"

"Sure thing, Madam President!" Shirley said cheerfully, taking the poster from her. She then linked her free arm with Lelouch's, and made him stand with her as she got up. "Come on, Lulu," she said with an earnest smile at the young man, then turned back to a grinning Milly, giving her a thankful look for the time with Lelouch.

"What about me, Prez?" Rivalz asked after Shirley happily walked out with a detached Lelouch.

"You and I are gonna go recruit some volunteers to work the games and stands. I picked the two of us for this job, because I know no boy's gonna say no to me, and you have a certain charm to you, Rivalz," Milly replied, flashing him a smile that turned his cheeks slightly red.

'She thinks I have a certain charm! Oh, yeah!' Rivalz thought to himself, beaming once again at the president's kind words.

- XXX -

"How many do you think we should make, Lulu?" Shirley asked as the copier awaited instructions.

"Milly said a couple hundred, which is literally two hundred, so go with that," he suggested. "That sounds like enough to plaster over the school."

Shirley put in the number desired, then walked over to the table in the middle of the room. Lelouch sat at the head of it, so Shirley had to take the end seat to be next to him. "Hey, Lulu..." she started softly, "Why is it that you like to gamble so much?"

Lelouch looked over at her, but her genuine look of concern wiped away any annoyance he felt when first asked the question. For a brief moment, he thought about telling her his real motivation, and decided that no harm would come it. "I don't do it for the money, Shirley; I never have. In fact, I give most of what I win to Rivalz. Whatever I keep, I use mostly for Nunally."

Shirley nodded, but looked slightly perplexed. "So then, why?"

"The only people I play against are nobles who think they're so much more than they truly are. I do it because I enjoy seeing their humiliated faces after a student knocks them down off their pedestal," he answered, with hints of malicious glee in his voice.

The young woman frowned a little, a little put off by his tone. "What is it that you have against nobles?"

Lelouch expected this question, but knew that he couldn't reveal the absolute truth. "They believe that just because they're born into a priveledged family, they're above the 'commoners', like you and I. To think that way is incredibly ignorant, especially when they contribute nothing of worth to the world." The exiled prince then turned back to her, relaxing his expression a bit. "You and I, though, Shirley, we're the ones that hold the world in our hands to make it better."

Shirley blushed slightly, averting her eyes for a quick second before looking back at him in midsentence. "Do you really believe we could change the world, Lulu?"

Lelouch smiled at her, nodding. "Of course. We might not have any political power to make a grand change, like the emperor or Viceroy Clovis, but we have the power of influence. We're the ones that can convince people of a better tomorrow, and that's where change begins."

"The power of our hearts," Shirley said, mostly to herself.

"Hm?" Lelouch asked, wanting a more in-depth answer.

"Our hearts are what drives us, Lulu. They're filled with our loves, our passions, our dreams. Without them, our poetry doesn't have meaning, and we can't have that feeling of being able to fly. And if it's a better world that we want to create, then we have to lead with our hearts, right? Because it's the kindness that you show to others that people remember, and they'll want to help people and make them feel what you made them feel. That's where the power of influence comes from, our hearts. Right?"

Lelouch looked at her as he thought about what she just said, the feeling of discovering something of the utmost importance overtaking him. Ever since his mother had been killed, Lelouch had decided that the power of Britannia needed to be eradicated, and fervently wished that he would be at the helm so he could shape the world into one he saw fit for his sister Nunally. But what Shirley just said, about the power of the heart being the catalyst for change, it made sense. By influence, he had meant grandious words to rile people into his way of seeing things, but her influence was of actions to support positivity towards your fellow man. He remembered the wrongs in his life, but he also remembered the good, the people that he saw as extended family. In his anger, he had come to take for granted the bright spots, but now, Shirley's words opened his eyes to the real worth in his life.

"Thank you, Shirley. Our hearts, our passions, they are what can change the world. Tomorrow is only as bright as we make it, and with compassion for all, I don't believe it can be dark. You proved that to me just now," he said, a small smile on his face.

Shirley blushed again, under the gaze Lelouch was giving her. The only person he looked at with such softness was Nunally, so for him to be looking at her like that, what could it mean?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the beep of the copier, signaling that it was done printing. She gave him a reserved smile as she stood up to take the papers from the tray, where he joined her in taking half. Sharing sweet smiles, Shirley and Lelouch walked out of the copy room, ready to put up the posters around school amidst breezy conversation, masking deeper thoughts and feelings.

A/N: So here's the first chapter. I'm not too sure how many there'll end up being, but I know it'll probably be more than five. Like I said, this is primarily to further a relationship between Lelouch and Shirley, but there are other plots involved. So, I hope you liked the beginning, and will continue to read as I update. As always, any reviews will be greatly appreciated, so thanks in advance for those.