Wishes Never Do Come True

by Frozenflower

Majin Buu had been defeated, and everyone has returned to life. They're not all unaffected, however. Goten is thrown into a terrible depression, and no one seems to notice. He feels alone, rejected, a failure. Can such a sweet child know despair?

2. Important Note

Author's Note:  Ok, I got a comment that someone didn't think a child could feel suicidal.  Moreover he said that he was insulted because Goten's his favorite character.  Now he said it in a nice way, so I'm not all pissy or anything, I really wanted to email him, but he didn't have an email up, so I'll include it here for everyone who thinks the same thing. 

First, it wasn't just the loneliness, I thought I made that pretty clear.  Second, trust me, an 8 year old can feel suicidal.  Not only do I know this from personal experience, but the statistics on child suicide are pretty clear: children attempt and commit suicide all the time.  Third, Goten is one of my favorite characters too!  So is Gohan, why do you think I write about him so much?  I think Goten's character is not explored nearly enough, and it has the potential to be as complex as Gohan's.  There are plenty of fics out there about a suicidal Chibi Trunks, but I had to ask myself, what would push Goten who's so innocent and bright to the edge of despair? 

I think I found that in the Buu Saga.  Sure, Gohan had to face the same things at Goten's age, but not alone, with the world resting on him.  He didn't have to watch every single person he cared about be killed, before being killed himself.  Goten's loneliness isn't the point of the story—it just gave everything time to brew, allowing him no help or comfort, making him struggle with it on his own.  Trust me, I love Goten.  That's why I wrote this—I'm tired of seeing him portrayed as a nothing, even though I've portrayed him that way myself a few times.  I think he's deeper than that.

Thanks for listening to my little rant all!

Frozenflower