"Holy crap!" he let out in a strangled cry when the door opened, jumping back a step and pointing an accusing finger at the figure within the apartment.  "Ninja!"

Heero calmly eyed the length of Duo's body, from the top of his ensashed head to the tips of his worn black boots.  "Pirate."

Recovering from his shock, Duo shooed Heero out of the way so he could slide past him and into the apartment.  "When you said you were going to do 'man in black', I was assuming you meant more along the lines of suit and shades, man."

Heero shrugged, tugging discreetly at the material beneath his chin as he shut the door.  "Relena asked that I think outside the box this year."

"Uh, yeah, I think you nailed outside 'traditional man in black', if not outside 'scary menacing bodyguard'."

"Just because it's a costume party, doesn't mean I shouldn't dress my part."

Somehow, in a sea full of crazy costumes, Duo was fairly certain Heero would be sticking out.  Not quite very ninja-like of him.  "Hey, are you implying that pirates don't make good bodyguards?"

Heero regarded him with an amused, sincere look.  "Pirates can be worthy foes."

"Yeah, you think?"  Duo grinned in triumph.

"A ninja could still kick his ass, though."

"...Gonna be an interesting night, isn't it?"

"Outside the box," Heero agreed amiably.

Duo perched on the back of Heero's sofa while watching him finish tying up his boot laces.  "You know, I don't think 'ninja' really qualifies as 'dressing your part'.  What's Relena going as?  Something with a fancy dress, wasn't it?"

"Something like that."  He recalled it being something somewhat impractical.  All the more reason for him to dress to intimidate.

"Sure you don't want to be a pirate?  'Cuz then we could be like that movie with the chick and the two pirates, and that would be pretty impressive stuff.  I'd be the cool, slick one, and you'd be the goody-goody straight and narrow one, and it'd be great."

Heero looked up at him through a fall of bangs.  Yes, he'd seen that movie.  Duo had dragged him out to the theater one night.  "Wouldn't that mean Relena would end up marrying me and killing you?"

Oh.  "Well, uh, the third movie hasn't come out yet, you know.  There's room for improvement."

"Hn."

"You're no fun."

"Pretend that I dressed as a pirate, but fell into a vat of ink on the way to the party."

Duo choked on his laughter, erupting in a burst of chortle.  Admittedly, it was the sort of thing that could very well happen in that movie.  "Hey, that's great!  Maybe then Relena wouldn't want to marry you anymore, and then she wouldn't have to kill me!"

Heero paused for a moment to puzzle that one out.  "As I recall, the two didn't have that much to do with each other.  Why would that matter?"

"I'm competition, man!"  Obviously.

Another conundrum to be considered as he tucked his laces in and stood slowly.  "...If we were fighting over her, then you wouldn't be her competition, and she wouldn't have to kill you.  You'd only be competition if... you were fighting over me."

Oh, again.  Crap.  Maybe the ninja really could kick the pirate's ass after all.  Seeing that Heero was ready to leave, he hopped off the sofa with a shrug.  "Yeah, well, you know, a pirate can't really fight a ninja.  Then we'd settle the age-old question, and then where would we be?"

"There's no competition," Heero said thoughtfully, as he slid what appeared to be a fully functional sai into his ninja utility belt.

Duo sighed softly.  "None at all?"  Well, a job was a job, so they'd best get to it.  He turned toward the door.

Heero did some ninja-stealth thing and ended up right behind him, to speak almost directly into his ear.  "It's bad luck to have a woman onboard."

He stopped where he was and all the ninja-grace in the world couldn't stop Heero from bumping into him from behind.  He was pleased to note that the ninja seemed in no hurry to re-establish the distance between them.  "Could it be... that this 'pirate' isn't as -straight- and narrow as I thought he was?"

"This ninja-slash-pirate knows how to think outside the box."

"Ah.  I see.  Well, then.  Let's get this pirate-vs-ninja show on the road, then, shall we?"  He started moving again.  "But I could so kick your ass."

"I'm armed," Heero stated mildly, passing him to open the door.

Duo took this as a challenge, an opening salvo in an evening full of fire, and oh pirates did love a good fight.  "Oh, that's it.  Your ass is so mine, ninja."

"Prove it, pirate," Heero answered as Duo slipped past him into the hallway of the apartment.

Duo smirked, taking a moment to check out that prime piece of real estate he would stake as his own as Heero locked the door.   "Don't mind if I do, ninja.  Don't mind if I do."