Vane Kabrino: An Attack on Titan Story (Rewritten)

A Hellish Start

"Vane! Vane!" Li Kabrino said to get his younger adopted brother's attention.
"What is it?" Vane asked, poking his head out of the kitchen window.
"I met with some other kids and we traded! Look what I got!" He held up a small bag.
"What's in it?" He made his way over to Li.
"I don't know, they said it's a mystery bag."
"Well open it!"
Li did so and several items dropped out.
A completely flat and smooth rock, half a loaf of bread, a patch of cloth bearing the Garrison Regiment's symbol, and the thin wire rims of glasses.
"Whoa," Vane's light blue eyes widened. He grabbed the rock and began to examine it.
His older brother chuckled at his amazement.
"Did you hear the Survey Corps are coming through town today?" Vane asked, dropping the rock, having lost interest in it.
"Yes. I had, why, do you wish to see them?"
"Yes!" Vane's eyes shone with excitement.
"Mom, Dad, we're going to see the Survey Corps return." Li said.
"Well, you really ought to be careful." His father smiled at them, and ruffled their hair.
"Be back in time for lunch,"
"We will!" Vane said.
The brothers left.
As they walked, Li could remember a conversation he'd overheard from his parents roughly a month ago.
"It's been several years, do you think he knows he isn't really part of the family?" His father had asked. "I mean, look at the differences of our looks to his."
"Well, he must just accept it the way he looks, he is only ten." Li's mother had replied. "And his parents practically gave him to us to raise."
"We should tell him, one day," Li's father sighed. "He needs to know the truth."
"How about on his eleventh birthday? I know it's soon, but we can't keep up this lie anymore." His mother shook her head.
Vane's paleness, blonde hair and blue eyes were quite the contrast compared to Li and his parents' dark hair and tanned hue.
Li was tugged back to reality by Vane.
"Li, you have a strange look on your face." He said.
"It's nothing, I'm just thinking," he smiled down at his adopted brother and patted his blonde hair.
They continued walking.
The bell rung.
"They're here!" Vane ran towards the main street.
"Vane be careful!" Li exclaimed.
He ran after him.
They skidded to a halt when they reached a crowd of people lining the streets.
The gate was up, the Survey Corps would come into view soon.
The first soldier rode by, supporting his comrade, a female soldier with bloodied bandages up her torso.
He stared blankly ahead.
The smile flickered on Vane's face.
More soldiers walked by with varying degrees of injury.
The crowd jeered and sneered at the soldiers.
"This is what our taxes pay for?" One man asked incredulously. "These damn soldiers cost us so much..." he spat on the ground.
Li gently turned Vane away from the man.
"The commander!" He said, pointing at a man with a brown goatee and messy hair.
Behind him rode a blonde man.
A woman jumped out in front of him.
The procession halted.
"My son! Where is my son?!" She shrieked.
The commander looked down at her.
"Is my son alive?"
The commander gestured for a soldier.
"Bring it forth."
The soldier handed him a tightly wrapped bloody white cloth.
The woman's eyes filled with tears and she gently unfolded it.
"Tell me..." she cried. "Was my son of use? Did he help humanity?!"
"He was brave!" The commander said. But then he seemed to ponder this. "I... I led him to his death... And we have nothing to show for it!"
The Survey Corps resumed pace and continued into the town.
The crowd jeered.
"Let's go." Li said quietly. He led Vane back to the house.
"I wanna look smart, gimme the glasses."
After all that he still maintains a positive attitude, Li thought with a smile. Maybe he doesn't understand that much.
He obliged and handed them to him.
"Like a scientist!" Vane raised his arms after placing them on his face.
"Come on, Vane," Li continued walking.
As they made their way towards the house, Li was deep in thought again.
His parents were veterans of the Garrison, and had encouraged joining the military, especially the Military Police, as they were in the very center of the Walls.
"The military is the way to go," his father's words echoed in his head. "Unless you want to be a dirt poor farmer. It would be even better to get into the top ten, if you're in there, you can be with the Military Police and live in the capital."
It didn't sound like a bad deal.
"Li, you have the look again." Vane said.
He didn't reply.
When they returned, their parents greeted them.
"I imagine the Survey Corps were pretty beaten up?" Their father asked.
"Yes." Li sighed. "If I ever join the military, it's not going to be with them."
"They're very brave, you'd fit right in!" Vane said loudly.
"It's not a job for everyone, Vane." Their mother said.
Then, with a loud crack, lightning crackled outside the Wall.
The Kabrinos stood and ran outside.
They didn't have a good view.
"The square, go, you'll have a better view. Come back to tell us what it is." Their mother said urgently, nodding at their father, who ran into their bedroom.
Vane and Li sprinted out the door and made their way to the square.
A giant skinless hand gripped the top of the Wall.
"What is that?" A person asked.
"A Titan?"
And then, the Titan peered over the Wall.
It's skinless head terrified the pair of boys.
It looked like it was about to reach in.
But instead, a loud crash ensued as it returned to it's vertical position.
"There's a hole in the Wall! The Titans are in!" Someone yelled.
Panic gripped everyone, screams rent the air.
Li grabbed Vane and ran back to their house.
Their parents were in their Garrison uniforms.
"Vane. Li. What is it?" Their mother asked, her hair was tied back.
"Titans! They broke through the Wall!" Li said.
Their father looked grim.
"Mariana, take them to the boats." He said.
"Winston..." she said.
"Take them and go! I'll help the Garrison units!" He yelled. "Come back to me afterwards!" He ran out.
"Mom...?" Vane said.
"Vane, we need to go!" She said.
And she led them towards the Wall Maria gate.
They looked behind them.
People were flocking towards the gates.
Titans loomed in the distance.
Li could have sworn he saw a Titan take a bite out of a squirming man.
More Garrison soldiers ushered then through the gates.
"We're going to hold them off with cannons!" They told their mother as she ran by.
"That should work." She muttered.
They then stopped roughly five meters from the boats to catch their breath.
"Vane, Li, I want you to get on one of those boats." She said. "Your father and I will find you two later. Just tell one of the Garrison soldiers you're looking for us." She kissed them both on the forehead. "Now go!" She yelled, shoving them towards the boats.
In an unsteady run they made it on a boat and watched their mother run back into the fray.