"I'm not doing it."

"Sasuke, you have to." his manager sighed, running long lithe fingers through his premature silver hair. "You can't just…not do anything. Fans await a comeback, you refuse to record. You're getting tons of requests to star or cameo in dramas and movies, you refuse them too."

"I'm not in the mood to talk about this right now, Kakashi."

"Okay, we'll talk about something else then." The masked manager continued. "Sakura called. If you want to break off your engagement then just do it. Stop leaving the poor girl hanging like that."

"I'm not in the mood to talk about that either."

Kakashi took a deep breath. "Well you don't have much of a choice anymore anyways. Orochimaru is planning on annulling your contract if this continues."

Now that was news. Sasuke was the favourite. Orochimaru was known for being a little on the slimy pedophile side, but for Sasuke he was more than a little bit creepy. The moment Sasuke walked into his office, Orochimaru was sold. To say the man had to be very irritated to threaten to cut his contract with the young Uchiha was an understatement. Sasuke's hiatus was drawing more media attention than when he was active — a man like Orochimaru needed his privacy to do all the different scandalous things he did to satisfy his vices.

"He already signed and informed the media you're doing it, Sasuke." Kakashi sighed. "You can't just lock yourself up and wallow in grief forever."

"Hn." He didn't want to let the world in, and he didn't see a reason to get back out there in the world. He didn't have anyone left that really cared — he didn't believe so anyways. He didn't need anyone to care about him either. He was doing fine the way he was. "So what is it that I have to do exactly?"

"You've never watched The Voice?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. Sasuke's stare told him he was right. "You'll be with three other stars, and you'll sit with your back facing the stage. With each audition, you'll listen to the contestant sing and at any point during the performance, you can hit the 'I Want You' button and in the end, the contestant decides whether he or she wants you as their coach for the contest — if more than one coach chooses them that is."

Oh yeah, it was that show. The one that got his fiancée Sakura famous. He only ever watched the last half an hour of the season Sakura was on because she wanted him to. He frankly thought the other contestant was better. But Sakura had the look. He didn't understand why it was called The Voice if the media ultimately decided who would win with their votes? Of course the viewers got to text vote, but the media clearly chose Sakura because of her appearance. She was by no means talentless but Sasuke found the whole voting system terribly silly.

"Right. That show." Sasuke motioned to the door and opened it. "Now if you're done, I'd like to be left alone." Kakashi shook his head and exited the broody man's loft.

Falling onto his comfy sofa, he turned on the television only to be greeted by the one thing he hated more than anything. Paparazzi. Of course the news would be airing some sort of ridiculous gossip program when he decided to watch TV. The only reason he didn't change the channel was because a familiar head of blonde hair popped up on screen. His head was down as he hid his face from the flashing cameras of those damn pests. What surprised him more was that there was a woman with him, and she didn't appear to be the one his idiot best friend had described to him almost a year ago.

You should see her, man! She's so cute and mousy — the total opposite of me, but opposites attract, right? For once it's not some crazy fan girl or undercover journalist. I wish you could meet her, Sasuke. You'd totally approve. She cooks for me. SHE COOKS! I mean, I don't know much about her for now, but boy do I want to get to know her. She has soft looking black hair, and I swear it's blue if you look at it in some light — kinda like yours. Her eyes are out of this world! Like really, I thought she was blind or something, but if you look really close, her eyes are a really light shade of purple or something. Sure she isn't rich or anything, but she's pretty perfect to me…I swear, love at first sight really does exist!

Sasuke recalled everything Naruto told him about his secret girlfriend. At first he thought Naruto was more of an idiot than he usually was, but then as months progressed he seemed to really be happy with the girl. The girl who was hiding with him who wore sunglasses, had platinum blonde hair tied low clearly wasn't the idiot's secret girl — she was dressed too nicely to be her. Unless Naruto randomly broke up with whoever the mystery girl was, while the Uchiha had barricaded himself in his home, he doubted any of the rumours were true.

"Rumours are confirmed! Lead guitarist slash singer Naruto Namikaze is dating heiress, Shion!" The young Uchiha almost fell off of his sofa in disbelief.

"Yeah, Shion and I have been together for about seven months now." the sun kissed singer said sheepishly, when they aired a clip of his press conference.

"Seven months?" Sasuke mumbled to himself. If memory served him correct, he hadn't shut himself in until six months ago, and Naruto would have told him if he suddenly changed girlfriends.

"Now we all know you guys have missed a certain dark haired bad boy, but cry no longer ladies and gents, Orochimaru of Manda Entertainment has confirmed Sasuke Uchiha's participation in this season of The Voice of Konoha!" Sasuke groaned and kicked a cushion off his couch. "Now, we know the young Uchiha is probably still shaken up about what happened to his broth—" At that point, Sasuke didn't even want to listen anymore.

"Fucking shit heads have nothing better to do." Sasuke growled, stomping over to his wet bar to prepare himself a drink. He wasn't ready to talk about it. Half a year wasn't enough time, a year wouldn't be enough time, ten years wouldn't be enough time. He would never be ready to talk about it.

Loud bashing at his door almost sent the whiskey glass in his left hand to the floor. Only one idiot would be that frantic. And boy did the idiot come at a bad time. He opened the door to see Naruto with a baseball cap and surgical mask secured on his face.

Letting himself in, Naruto slammed the door and raised his arms as if he was awaiting an embrace. "Why didn't you tell me that you're getting back into the field? Just when I thought it was time to give up on you!" Hadn't he already? Sasuke wondered. While Naruto was caught up in his confusing love life, he had let Sasuke drink his sorrows away alone, and left Sasuke to realize everyone is too immersed in themselves to truly care. Even Sakura stopped calling after the first two and a half weeks.

"Why didn't you tell me that your girlfriend went blonde and totally isn't the girl you told me about approximately eleven and a half months ago?" Naruto fidgeted. "God Naruto, if you fucked up with mystery chick to be with Shi-whatever her name is, at least tell me you did it in a way that didn't make you out to be a total and utter jackass." Sasuke was perhaps unaware that he cared for Naruto more than he'd ever realize.

"I…" For once, the blonde was at a loss for words.

"Get out."

"Come on, man!" Naruto pleaded. "I just liked her so much, but Shion is so…I don't know, but—"

"You know exactly how I feel about what you did, now get out before the next big news is of me kicking you out of my window on the thirtieth floor." Sasuke growled. "I don't know who your secret girlfriend was, but fucking hell, you should have made a decision you greedy bastard."

"You don't get it, Sasuke!"

"I get that you're a fucking scumbag and you should get out."

"Please, Sasuke." Naruto begged. "You're supposed to be my best friend."

"Yeah, well best friend, get out." All Sasuke could see was his father in Naruto. He saw red as he recalled how much his mother cried, and let his father do as he pleased.

Naruto sighed. He knew Sasuke would be able to deduce his whole situation, and he knew how he'd react. But in the end, he felt like absolute shit because two people he really did care for so much, had seemed to abandon him.

'I deserve it…' he thought wearily.

Sasuke's chest heaved as he tried to calm himself. He didn't mean to be so harsh on Naruto, but his mother's weeping and sobbing was suffocating him. His thoughts were drowned by the nightmares he had to call memories.

I love your father, and he loves me, Sasuke.

It's okay, baby. We'll always be number one to him.

He'll never leave us!

He'll be back…I know, so go to bed, honey. I'll stay up and wait for him.

"STOP!" Sasuke yelled, dropping to his knees. He covered his ears as if his mother was right there saying it to him. But he knew, that'd be impossible.

She'd have to be alive to be able to do that.

Tevin talks (like Ted talks only I'm cooler)

So…I don't know why I'm writing another story when I have so many others to update. But after watching The Voice of China, I decided I had to write a story inspired by that. I'm not how the American version of The Voice works, but I decided to just go by the rules of the Chinese version.

Konoha is a city in Japan in this story, and it's supposed to be super important or something like another Tokyo or some shit but yeah that's minor detail that I don't feel like really talking about.

I don't hate Naruto (nor do I own the franchise for disclaimer's sake), he's just the sucker who's taking the heat for now. Umm, I guess that's it. I'll try and keep Author's Notes short — or as short as I can since I tend to ramble as you can probably tell since I'm doing it now.