Malum

A/N: So hi, fellow AiCon shippers! Before we get down to reading my creation (muahah), I'd like to share a brief history of how I fell in love with this pairing. Everything started in the episode where the main case was the psycho doctor killing the police force peeps, also eventually resulting in Ran losing her memories. More specific yet was the part where Conan was feeling all glum and stuff, and then Ai said how nice it'd be if she too could lose her memories and stay like this with Conan forever. The moment was just- sniff. A'ight then, enough with my rambles, enjoy!

Paring: Shinichi/Conan and Shiho/Ai

Rating: K+

Summary: Good thing Ai was equally as smart as Conan. She figured out why he didn't want to share an apple with her in no time.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing - all rights, plots, characters, and basically anything cool belongs to Gosho Aoyama. Except for my overactive imagination and my laptop, maybe.

xx

The lunch bell rang noisily thrice, breaking the otherwise peaceful and serene school atmosphere. The classes of Teitan Elementary School burst open just seconds after with children running and scrambling out to play in the field, or to simply pay a visit to the canteen and fill their empty tummies. Point is, lunch time was precious and no one wanted to waste even a millisecond of it.

The Shonen Tantei was no exception to that either. Genta was first in class B to shut his book and jump from his chair, rewarding him with a quick, dirty look from Kobayashi-sensei. Shortly after she left, Genta excitedly yelled, yes yelled, to Mitsuhiko,

"Tsuburaya-kun, hayaku! I heard from the lunch lady they're serving unagi bento today!"

Mitsuhiko, who had somehow became Genta's lunch buddy simply sighed and packed his copy of Basic Arithmetic For First Gradersinto his bag.

"Wait just a moment, Genta-kun. I need to clear my desk first."

Genta stood there stiffly and with a face which had turned rather pink, bellowed,

"Wait?! Did you even hear what I said? I said, u-na-gi ben-to!" He pronounced each syllable carefully, one hundred percent sure Mitsuhiko misheard him the first time. "Unagi waits for no one! No one, you hear me?!" And with that, he grabbed a very shocked Mitsuhiko by the hand and ran down the hall, leaving Ai, Conan, and Ayumi wondering what the heck just happened.

"We should get to our spot too, I'm sure they'd be up in no time." Ai broke the silence. "And I bet carrying at the very least 3 bento boxes too." With that, Ai took her lunch box and left.

"Hai!" Ayumi replied chirpily. She then proceeded to take her home brought lunch, which was wrapped carefully in a pink hearts napkin. "Let's go, Conan-kun!"

Conan offered her a light smile and followed.

Their usual spot, or as Ayumi liked to call it their 'special spot', was none other than the rooftop. Although it could be a little muddy on rainy days, it was a rather ideal place for lunch. Seeing as it was quiet, breezy, and most importantly in close range to the bell so they could hear it signal when break's over.

The three children sat down and before Ai could open her lunch prepared by Hakase, Ayumi interrupted.

"Oh dear, I forgot my milk carton. Okaa-san must've put it separately." She said with a slight dismayed tone. "I'm going to go retrieve it; you guys go ahead and eat."

"I could go down and get it for you if you'd like." Conan offered, resulting in a light blush forming in Ayumi's cheeks.

"No thanks, you accompany Ai-chan eat. I'll just be a minute!" And with that note, Ayumi left.

"Tsktsk, tantei-kun. You're not at all a gentleman. You should've insisted and ran down after her just now."

Conan scooted closer to the wall and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"Tch, at least I had the decency to ask. You just sat there eating your-"

"Apple? It should've just been crackers and water." Ai frowned. "Hakase must've packed me this. He has been obsessed with my health these days, come to think of it." Ai mused.

"Well, that's natural of him I suppose. You aren't exactly Jillian Michaels. You don't eat healthy, you don't exercise, you have an unholy sleeping schedule.." Conan trailed off.

Ai bit the apple and munched before speaking.

"Hai, hai. Guilty of all you just mentioned, Sherlock." To shut him up, she added, "Here, you want this apple?"

"Yo-your apple?" Conan stammered.

"Um, no. Kobayashi-sensei's apple she brought from home. Of course my apple, Kudo-kun. What's wrong with it?" She asked through squinted eyes.

"Wh-what's wrong with it? You took a bite from it already, that's what's wrong." Conan sputtered.

"Wha-" Ai began, but then dropped once she finally got was the famous detective was circling around about. "You're worried about the indirect kiss if you accept it, aren't you, tantei-kun?"

"N-nani? Of course not! Don't be silly! I-I've kissed Ran plenty of times for your information. Besides, I just don't want to bite into something the Ice Queen has bitten into. My insides may freeze up, you know." He added a nervous laugh at the end.

"Really now?" She asked, amusement laced in her tone. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind me doing this, now would you?"

And with that, just like that, she leaned towards Conan, placed his face in her hands and planted a butterfly kiss smack on his lips – soft and sweet. Conan, or rather Shinichi, unconsciously raked a hand through Ai's auburn hair, pulling her closer to him to mask the fact that the kiss was too light. For it was almost as if it never happened at all if they were to pull away.

Ai eventually made distance and smirked, "Now you don't have to worry about your... Hmm, what count kiss was I again?"

Conan, regaining sense of reality blushed furiously and muttered.

"B-baka, that was my first."

"Figured as much. Here's the apple." She laughed softly and tossed him the red fruit.

Conan glared wordlessly at the fruit in his hand. Apples, he knew, are the symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. Tch, forbidden fruit indeed.

All things aside, he made a mental reminder to thank Hakase for the apple later. And also, if possible, to find a way for her to bring one to school every day.

Fin.

A/N: Did anyone wonder where the rest of the Shonen Tantei disappear to? Me neither. Ok, so fisrt off, I apologize if I got any of their names muddled up, as Japanese honorifics(-kun,-chan,-san) aren't exactly my forte. Secondly, the lunch issue thing. I'm not sure how it works there in Japan, but I'm pretty sure they have this lunch lady who scoops them free lunch? Lastly, I have no idea who Jillian Michaels is too. Bottom line is she's a healthy individual. Anyhoo, let me get right to what this title is. In Latin, the words for apple and evil are similar (mālum "an apple",mălum "an evil, a misfortune"). I loved this bit as it resembles Ai's name. Ai in Japanese may mean love or sorrow. Cool, huh. Right, so enough with the history lesson or whatever you want to call it, please review c: