Okay, I just got back form camp and have a full 24 hours at home before I leave for the next one. Sorry about any confusion regarding the sudden change in tenses in the last chapter, I just have it from a strange point of view. Mostly 3rd person limited from Dash's perspective, but a little bit of Danny too. That part with the wierd tenses was from Dash being unable to breath. The pain and confusion was causing him to not think straight, and I was trying to portray that idea.

I agree with many of you that Dash is probably not smart enough to figure it out completely on this own, but you have no idea what crazy thoughts are running through my mind right now. I think you will all be happy with the way he will figure it out (yes, he definately will, nobody said otherwise in a review and I already wanted him to find out before that).

((Hands out flamingo stuffed animals)) Thanks for the reviews, applause, etc. everybody!

So, anyway, this is Chapter 4: Suspicious Minds

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Dash had been sitting against the wall near Danny for about twenty minutes now, pondering over the events of the day. He hadn't noticed during the fight, but apparently the lights had come back on at some point while he was busy being a human punching bag, something he had never before in his life experienced.

When Despair showed up at the school, Danny hadn't seemed fearful. He actually looked bored, and, judging by the way he had been taunting the ghost, almost a bit cocky.

Then he had said he was afraid of himself and the damage he could cause, the things he could do. Rubbing his sore shoulder, Dash winced at the reality of that statement.

Fenton had told Danny Phantom that he would never become him.

He was able to dodge blasts and blows unbelievingly effortlessly and with a measure of grace that Dash had never seen before in the normally clumsy boy.

Then that clown guy had said something about self-control being the only reason Danny hadn't pummeled Dash before.

What really shocked him was the idea that Danny could kill him at any time, or at least injured him badly enough to send him to the hospital.

What was it that made him hold back? Why did he put up with being shoved into his locker and being pushed around every day? And how did such a geeky seemingly-normal teen learn to fight like that?

He heard an extremely soft moan from beside him, and turned to see Danny's eyes flutter open.

"Ugh, what hit me?" Danny winced as he sat up, raising a hand to the back of his head.

Dash grimaced when he realized that the other boy must have a nasty bump from when his head had snapped back against the wall earlier. "Sorry about that," he said, something he rarely ever did. "It was self-defense."

A questioning look appeared on Danny's face for a moment, disappearing quickly when he remembered what had happened. He was able to remember every moment of the fight with absolute clarity. The surprise and pain on Dash's face, the satisfying sound of a well-landed punch, it was all there.

What scared him the most was the fact that – in some sort of sick, twisted way – he had enjoyed it.

Then the reality of what Dash had just said dawned on him. "Did you just apologize? To me? After I almost killed you?"

Dash shrugged, "It wasn't really you. You were being controlled, right?"

Danny looked away, slowly shaking his head. "No. All he did was make me do something I've been dreaming about for months. I may not have normally done that, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it." He closed his eyes. "I enjoyed it. Every moment of revenge for all those times… That's what scares me the most."

With that he got up and started walking, not checking to see if Dash was following him. He knew he would eventually. He was right.

The jock broke into a jog to catch up with Danny's fast strides. "Hey man, can I ask you a question?"

Danny glanced up, some of his usual dry humor showing as he pointed out, "You just did."

Dash ignored him and asked anyway. "How did you learn to fight like that?"

Black hair covered his eyes as Danny returned his gaze to the ground, hands shoved deep into his pockets. When he replied, he seemed almost afraid, like he was choosing his words carefully. "I've had a lot of practice."

Dash bit back a snarl of frustration. Danny was completely terrified of something, he could see it on his face. Dash was used to receiving looks like that very often, though rarely had it been as carefully masked as Fenton's.

Whenever a question like that was asked, however, the mask would slip ever so slightly and Dash would catch a glimpse of pure terror.

Danny sighed, "Sometimes I just want to be normal. Like Tucker, or even like you. I don't want to be responsible. I don't want to face the possibility of summer school or repeating a year because I'm so busy that I can't keep my grades up. I don't want Jazz trying to psychoanalyze me. I don't want my parents accusing me of doing drugs. And don't even get me started on what nuthouse they're gonna put me in the next time Mr. Lancer tells me that I can do better than this. I'd like to see him even try to live my life."

Danny stopped, apparently as surprised by his rant as Dash was. They walked on for about ten minutes in silence, Dash's mind working in overdrive the whole time.

Fenton was in danger of repeating a grade?

His parents thought he was doing drugs?

What was he responsible for?

Why did he want to be normal so badly?

And where in the world had he gotten practice fighting like that?

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Hey, I only said that Dash wasn't smart enough to figure it out completely, I never said he couldn't get close!

I haven't written the next chapter yet, but hopefully will get a chance to this week at camp. I already have a couple of ideas for where I'm going next. This was mostly a filler chapter. I'm hoping to get it up on Saturday, though it is still unsure at this point if I will have written enough at camp to make a whole chapter.

The more reviews, the faster it will be, because the more readers I know like the story, the more motavation I have for finishing it quickly.