As he made his way home, in the dead of night, Kit felt an irrational anger wash over him. No clear, discernible source. He silently came to a stop, eyes darting between buildings and the few people still out on the streets, trying to discern a source for his sudden aggression. Tinny, incomprehensible whispers, slipping under the skin, prickling at the edges of his consciousness. The fur at the nape of his neck stood on end. The first of the whispers began to speak more clearly in his metaphorical ear.
—there is an obvious gap in how much more effort was put into Surge than there was to Kit.
...Tails? Ears flicked upwards—just a bit, heavy as they were.
—you see how he thinks of me by how much more focus Surge got than Kitsunami.
The same thought, rephrased. If Kit didn't know any better, he'd think the twin-tailed fox was right next to him, revealing what he truly thinking about his would-be replacement.
She's on the right track, unlike the other one.
Starline. Was Kitsunami's mind failing him? Had he not seen some obvious solution to some problem? The whispers persisted.
—Kitsunami is going further off the rails—
A deficit to everyone around him, starting to include Surge.
The fennec froze, stiff as a statue. Magenta eyes shown bright through ever dark night. The whispers grew louder.
Maybe I'll replace Kitsunami with the real thing since Sonic seems to be rarely present. It wouldn't even be difficult.
Pressure begins to build in the little kit's head. A pounding grows, fiercer and fiercer.
—only purpose is to support—
—isn't even that good at his job.
What even are you without your hero? Without your purpose?
The voices pound against carefully maintained walls of synapse and serotonin. Again and again. But just when those walls were about to fall, they vanished. The little fennec fox sat there, holding his head and moaning. A wetness from the heavens upon his scalp snapped him out of his stupor. Through vision blurred by streams of tears did awareness return to him. When he was sure no one was looking, he hurried off, oblivious to the fountains pouring forth from burst hydrants, sewer grates crashing down onto cracked asphalt as tainted waters burbled up from beneath.
"Find Surge. Support Surge. Protect Surge."