Vane Kabrino: An Attack on Titan Story (Rewritten)

Humanity and the Titans

Hell. That was the only way to describe the way it was with the beginning of the battle.
Titans were everywhere. The less skilled Military Police made up most of the early deaths.
When the Armored Titan, Ymir's Titan grasping onto the shoulder, and Bertolt carrying Eren on his back were running away.
Vane had never talked with the pair of them nor Ymir, but he felt betrayed. Reiner seemed like an older brother type of guy, and Bertolt a quiet and nice guy. Ymir he had never seen interact with anyone but Krista. The members of the Survey Corps and Garrison swarmed the around Armored Titan. The ones who knew Reiner and Bertolt the best were up there talking to them, trying to peacefully get Eren back. But all failed and a Garrison member shouted to get away.
Then dozens upon dozens of Titans came, led by Erwin.
"Erwin what the hell are you doing?!" A soldier shouted.
Erwin then bellowed,
"All units disperse! Get away from the Titans!" He took a deep breath as they turned away from the Titans. "All units charge! This moment decides the fate of humanity! If we lose Eren, humans will never inhabit this land again! Dedicate your hearts!" So they charged, Vane rode along side Jerrica, they brandished their swords, nodded at each other and leapt into action. Out of the corner of his eye Vane saw Erwin dragged away by a Titan that charged, holding onto him by the arm.
"Advance!" Was the last words that he shouted that the mismatched group of soldiers could hear. Sam zipped up next to them.
"Hell of a guy, Erwin. Now don't any of you die on me!" And with that he joined the group of Garrison members.
Their attack went horribly wrong, once the Titans spotted humans some stopped attacking Reiner and went for them. They had to react quickly. A fifteen meter went straight for him, Vane was lucky to dodge it and serve as distraction while Jerrica swung in to kill it. On her next leap though she stumbled and fell, failing to activate her gear in time. He swept under her and caught her. Then his gaze was no longer narrowed to only the things in front of him as he gazed around the battle field. Soldiers were dead or dying or fighting with all their might.
"Erwin..." Vane muttered his name as though it were a curse. Jerrica looked up at him as he was still holding her.
"You can set me down." She said in a matter of factly tone. He felt rather embarrassed.
"Right." He set her down. Vane leapt into action and swung over to the swarm of Titans.
Then he felt a hand close around him. Only then did he feel he knew that this would happen. He was being an idiot. And now Vane was in a Titans mouth.
He was dropped down the throat.
Using his swords he tried to climb out.
The Titan thrashed in agony as he stabbed in and out of the mouth. The blood splashed out and stained Vane's clothes.
He could see the Titan's mouth open in a scream of pain.
"I'm almost there," He muttered.
He had made it to the exit of the mouth, but now he needed to stand so he could hold open the mouth and escape.
Vane looked out of the mouth as he stood.
It looked like the situation had gotten much worse outside.
He could see Jerrica taking down a Titan in a tag team with Sam.
"Jerrica! Sam!" He yelled.
Their attention was now on the Titan, they looked bewildered.
Jerrica was the first to react positively.
"Vane!" She swung towards him, a bright smile on her face.
He smiled in return. It had never felt so good for him to smile!
And all in the space of a few seconds, several things went wrong.
There was Titan saliva in Vane's boots. The wooden foot slipped, as did his boot.
His balance was thrown off, as both the boot and foot fell down the Titan's throat.
Vane felt it was now or never, he launched himself forwards.
The Titan seemed to have been waiting for this moment, for the second Vane had almost escaped, and his hips lay directly over the Titan's lower teeth, it bit down.
For the last few seconds of his life, Vane looked in utter shock, a noise as though he had been punched in the stomach and momentarily lost breath escaped his lips.
"Vane!" Jerrica screamed, this time it was one of agony. She swept around the Titan with it's mouth stained with Vane's blood and killed it, tears of anger and sorrow dripping down her face. "Damn you!" She yelled.
"Jerrica!" Sam landed next to her. "We can't just stand around! We'll get eaten!"
She was knelt next to the corpse of Vane, his blood and entrails were on her knees.
She lifted his body up to her.
"Jerrica!" Sam said loudly. "We can't do this!"
"There's got to be a chance!" She yelled. "Vane! Vane!"
It became clear to Sam she was desperately trying to see a reality of a still alive Vane.
"Take his coat, we have to leave him."
"How can you say that?! I loved him!" Jerrica shrieked, tears streaming down her face.
"I loved him too! You think it's easy for me?!" Sam retorted.
The pair looked at one another in an uncomfortable silence.
Jerrica wiped away her tears, gingerly removed Vane's jacket, discarded her own and placed his on.
"Let's go." She said finally, her voice still trembling slightly.
They returned to battle.
It wasn't any better than beforehand.
Each now had more emotional baggage than at the start.
They took down the Titan that had killed Vane, Sam allowed Jerrica to have the killing blow.
Before they could tag team another Titan, it turned away from them. Eren had screamed.
Sam and Jerrica looked on in awe as ten Titans swarmed a Titan about to eat Eren and Mikasa.
"Dear god, what the hell was that?" Sam asked aloud.
"I don't know, but it gives us time to escape!" Jerrica said.
The Survey Corps began to retreat.
Reiner made an attempt to attack, but Eren yelled again, the Titans then went for Reiner.
Ymir leapt into the frenzy, and the last Jerrica saw of them was Ymir ripping Titans as Reiner protected Bertolt.
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They returned, having retrieved Eren, but suffered great losses.
They had to make note of the dead.
Jerrica reported on Vane's death in a quick and sharp manner, simply stating, "Vane Kabrino died," and leaving.
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Jerrica and Sam had taken two days off duty. They went to see if they could find Vane's brother.
They travelled to the interior and eventually tracked down Li Kabrino.
Sam knocked on his door.
"Yes?" Li Kabrino leaned out of the door. His eyes went across both their faces. "Do I know you?"
"Vane Kabrino is dead." Jerrica said.
Li did a double take.
"Dead?"
"That is what I said."
"How?"
"How else, but by a Titan?" Jerrica replied coldly.
"Please, uh, give me a second." He disappeared and returned within a moment, holding a bottle of wine.
"During a recent battle to retrieve Eren Jaeger of the Survey Corps, Vane was lost. He was bitten in half by a Titan." Jerrica said. "And you," her voice now shook. "You were his only damn family. You did nothing for him. You abandoned him. You might as well be the cause of his death!" Tears of anger spilled down her face. She threw a punch at Li, hitting him in the stomach.
He doubled over and choked on the wine.
"Easy now, Jerrica." Sam said. "We were his closest friends. And she was briefly romantically involved with him." His voice began to break. "He was the best friend I have ever had. I loved him, and so did she."
"I cared for him too!"
"For six months!" Jerrica half snarled half cried. "You then left him! And he had no one for the next two and a half years!" She kicked him in the shin. "Don't you dare say you cared for him! You fucking asshole!"
"Jerrica!" Sam had to pull her away before she attacked again.
"No, she's right, I abandoned him," Li said. "I am a terrible person, I wish I could make this up, but I know I can't." Li began to cry. "This is all my fault. If only, if only I could have been there for him!"
After some consoling from both sides, they talked.
"I know Vane might have wanted you to have this." Jerrica held out the lightly blood stained coat.
"I know he probably loved you infinitely more than I. Keep it." Li said.
"Thank you," Jerrica replied, sliding it on.
Without any other words, aside from a goodbye, the pair left.
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"Jerrica, what are we going to do now?"
"Keep on going in the military." She replied.
"Of course, it's for Vane, yes?"
"For Vane." She said.
"I hate to tell you, but... I can't continue on. I am quitting the military." He said.
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Well," she paused. "Let's hope to cross paths again."
"You'll visit me in Krolva, right?" Sam said.
"Next chance I get I'll stop by." Jerrica smiled.
They hugged briefly.
"Please take care of yourself," Sam said.
"Of course. You too."
With that they parted ways.