A/N: And thus, a new team is born. This marks the end of the V4 trailer.

Let me know what you think!

What We Call Home

By the time they broke through the trees, the battle was in well underway. Only a few straggling Grimm remained. Even from the edge of the trees, the trio could hear the gunshots from Ruby's Crescent Moon scythe echoing through the burning village. People watched fearfully from the bushes on the outskirts of town, not daring to step out in case the shadowy monsters caught their scent.

The trio hadn't fought together ever since the Fall, having always been sent on different little missions around the borders of Vale. It was a little exhilarating for Nora to think that they were finally going to be on the battlefield again. Their team had always worked together so flawlessly, after all.

Immediately, they tossed their bags at the feet of a family who was hiding near the edge of town. "Watch this," Ren said gently, casting his Semblance quickly over them. The cowering civilians calmed down instantly and nodded, seeing their drawn weapons and determined faces.

"Huntsmen?" one man muttered.

Nora shrugged, extending Magnhild's hilt. The giant hammerhead hit the ground, and she stepped on it, winking at the onlookers. "Close enough!" she cheered, pulling the trigger under her finger. An explosion from under the barrel of her hammer launched the girl into the smoke-filled skies over the town, allowing her to arc through the air, still standing on the top of her weapon.

As she hit the peak of her graceful ascent over the burning buildings and screeching Grimm, the orange-haired girl caught a glimpse of a fluttering red cape running from a slew of monsters. "Found you!"

A giant Ursa roared and began running straight for Ruby while the girl was preoccupied with a flock of smaller Nevermores. Nora grabbed the handle of Magnhild with both hands, a gleeful grin spreading across her face as she began to fall towards the ground once more. Flipping in the air, she watched as her descent lined up directly with the path of the Ursa. At the exact moment the Ursa was under her, she pulled the trigger on Magnhild once more, adding extra speed and momentum to her blow as she crashed her hammer down onto the bear-like monster's skull, shattering it into pieces of bone and dust.

"Nora!" Ruby cried brightly when she heard the explosion. "You guys just made it." The younger girl quickly leapt on top of a nearby shed and began pumping bullets into a few oncoming Beowolves, cheering when they turned into black hazes instantly.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Jaune yelled, slashing his way clumsily past a few Boarbatusks in a nearby alley.

"Hey Jaune! I'm all good!" Ruby called back, slicing the head of a Beowolf clean off its shoulders.

Nora quickly bashed a few more Grimm as she ran to the blond, fighting off a small Death Stalker. "Where's Ren?"

"Protecting the civilians!" the boy replied, avoiding the swiping claws of another wolf-like Grimm.

Suddenly, the biggest monster within the horde emerged, a giant King Taijitsu slithering up to the trio. Its fangs dripped and glistened with red, vibrant blood.

"Take it down!" Jaune screamed, dodging as best as he could when the deadly serpent struck, missing him and crashing its head into a nearby building instead. The creature then hissed and reared its head back high, too far for them to reach.

On instinct, the orange-haired girl cried, "Shield!" as she ran towards him. The word fell out of her mouth naturally, as she had said it a hundred times before in the heat of battle.

And Jaune's sword and shield suddenly fell by his side, arms limp, watching her with wide eyes. Then, seeing her speeding approach, he scrambled to pick up his Crocea Mors once again, holding the shield above his head and bracing himself.

She jumped onto the shield, feeling the boy's muscles tense as he leapt upwards, giving her a flat platform off which she could catapult up to the King Taijitsu's horrifying head. However, the boost he gave wasn't enough to bring her to the demon's face. It was only then that Nora realized her mistake.

Oh, Pyrrha.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled the trigger on Magnhild, giving her the extra propulsion she needed to reach the height she wanted. Stepping onto the snake Grimm's face, she bounced high in the air, avoiding its snapping jaws by a hairsbreadth. Then, she pulled it again, spinning head over heels and slamming her hammer straight into its skull. The beast flew onto the ground with a screech, crushing a few smaller Grimm underneath it. Taking the moment of weakness, Ruby leapt onto the Grimm's face and fired round after round into its eyes until the monster finally dissipated like all of its fallen comrades.

The King Taijitsu was the most problematic one of them all. After that Grimm was killed, the remaining monsters were merely fodder. But it wasn't a victory, not to Jaune and Nora. They were both witnesses to the truth behind their manoeuvre. Ruby congratulated them on the smooth assist, but they couldn't put their hearts into their smiles.

The act of throwing Nora up in the air using a shield- it wasn't Jaune's attack with Nora. It was Pyrrha's. Pyrrha, who could jump higher and run faster and hit harder than any of them. The best warrior Nora had ever seen, the one who had her back no matter what.

Nora's lip wobbled, and she took a shuddering breath as she folded Magnhild back up and clipped the hammer to her belt. There was no time for this. She slapped her cheeks and perked herself up, then rushed over to Jaune and Ruby, as the duo had begun scrambling over to where Ren awaited them.

A few of the town's residents had left the safety of Ren's Semblance, rushing forward with buckets and hoses connected to the town's water pumps. One man in particular loaded up a rifle with ice-Dust, firing shot after shot from a watchtower at the edge of town towards the worst of the flames. It was perfect in subduing the towering pillars of fire and smoke.

As more and more civilians came forward to begin damage control of the buildings themselves, Nora caught sight of the dark-haired boy she was looking for. "Ren!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck quickly. After giving him one squeeze, she let him go, letting the introverted boy have his space.

Ren simply chuckled and brushed her hair out of her eyes before turning to Ruby and Jaune. "Ruby, are you alright?" he asked.

Ruby nodded vigorously. "I saw that there were Grimm attacking, so I just jumped in. It wasn't anything I couldn't-"

But Jaune suddenly punched the younger girl lightly in the shoulder, effectively cutting her off. She pouted and reeled back, rubbing her arm pitifully as the boy shook and clenched his fists tight. "Don't ever run off like that again," he whispered. "You can't do that again."

Everyone's expressions softened. "Jaune…"

"Call us," he insisted. "If you see a fight, call us. You can't go into a battle without us knowing."

"…Okay, Jaune," the younger murmured at last, digging her toe into the dirt road guiltily.

Thankfully, their awkward silence was interrupted by the family whom they had left to guard their bags, their belongings in tow. Handing off their packs, one man said reverently, "Thank you all so much. We thought we'd never get our home back."

"Where's the town Huntsman?" Ren asked.

The man shook his head. "He left a few weeks ago to pick up some ammo or the sort. We haven't heard from him since."

The foursome traded worried looks. What in the world was going on in Mistral with all the Huntsmen?

The man continued, "Is there any way we can repay you for taking care of our home?" The man's children crowded around his legs, looking up at them with wide, thankful eyes.

Nora nudged Ren as she slipped her bag onto her back once more. The dark-haired boy stepped forward, smoothly and politely negotiating for free board for the night and an updated map. The man, who was one of the village leaders, was more than happy to provide that for them- he introduced them all to the small village's innkeeper, an elderly woman who waved them in with a welcoming smile.

The inn had been largely untouched by the Grimm. That meant that once the people had sorted out their next steps in rebuilding their homes, the four teens would be free to relax for the night in their temporary accommodations.

As the village leader handed them the aforementioned map, he pointed out a few of the nearby villages. "These guys are all looking for new Huntsmen, you know. They might also know where to get that airship of yours. If you're looking for places to barter services, though, we'd all gladly accept you lot in a heartbeat."

"But what's happening to all the Huntsmen?" Nora cried, throwing her hands in the air. "It just doesn't make any sense!"

The man sighed. "I wish I could tell you, miss. The world's not exactly what it used to be." He grimaced, then spat on the stone walkway. "My bet? Bandits."

Nora grit her teeth. "Great," she muttered. Ren looked similarly displeased. She clenched her fist for a moment, shaking- then, she relaxed, putting a smile back on her face. No matter how much the thought of the lawless bands of criminals who posed such a problem to the fragile peace of the settlements of Mistral made her sick, there was no point getting riled up. If she showed her anger every single time she heard of bandits in the wild woods of Anima, she'd lose her mind. "Oh well. Time for dinner!"

Taking that as their cue, they turned in for the night. The innkeeper made them a simple, yet delicious dinner, and they were able to enjoy the quiet meal. However, there was a tension that hung over them all, stemming from Jaune. The blond hadn't spoken much since the fight. Nora knew why.

As she took their plates and shooed them upstairs to the guest rooms, the elderly innkeeper said joyfully, "So, what's your team name?"

"Pardon?" Ren replied, brought out of his thoughts by the sudden question.

"You know, your team name. Oh, don't tell me you're surprised! Even an old lady like me understands how Huntsman Academies work- four to a team, right? That's you lot!" She gestured cheerfully at the foursome staring up at her, slack-jawed. Ignoring their shock, she pressed on. "My grandchild went to Haven, you know. We were real proud of the boy. So tell me, what do I call you?"

Ruby stirred her tea with a spoon, brow furrowed and face grim. "I guess… we're a team now." Lifting her face to her friends, she murmured, "So… what're we called?"

"But… we're JNPR, aren't we?" Nora whispered. But her eyes drifted over to Ruby's hunched figure, and she knew that she was very, very wrong. The thought had never even occurred to her. Who were they now? For so long, her family had been called 'Team JNPR'. Even after the fall, they had all quietly thought of themselves as such.

With Ruby though, they were a four-man team once more. So who were they now? Who were they without Pyrrha?

"We… we're sort of a new team," Ren attempted to clarify for the confused, expectant woman.

It was suddenly too much. Nora frowned, slamming her fists on the table childishly. "But- but- JNPR! We're still here, aren't we?" She pressed her hands to her chest against the heart-shaped window in her shirt, pulse rising anxiously. "We're still here! We're okay! We're still together! We have to be JNPR-"

"Stop it, Nora!" Jaune screamed at last.

Nora froze, eyes wide. Her mouth fell open in shock as the blond slammed opened palms against the table with a resounding thud, rising to his feet so jerkily that his chair fell back and clattered behind him. His face was red, anger practically rolling off of his figure in waves. She reached out a hand, but he pushed it away, fuming. "Don't. We're not JNPR any longer. Don't say that."

"I'm s-sorry," Ruby whispered, and all eyes fell on her. She looked up at them all, tears shining in her eyes. "I… I can't replace her. I'm so sorry for asking you t-to come with me." She staggered to her feet, avoiding the reaching hands of the old innkeeper who tried to guide her back to her seat. "I- I can't replace Pyrrha. I'm so sorry." Then, there was a rush of rose petals as the girl activated her Semblance and flew out of the door, leaving it flapping on its hinges limply.

Jaune didn't follow her. His voice broke as he whispered, "Pyrrha's not coming back, dammit." And then, he stormed away, stomping up the stairs angrily, each footfall heavy and inconsolable.

Nora slumped back in her seat, watching what her careless words had wrought. What… what do we do?

Ren stood up, sighing heavily. His expression was strained, clearly trying to hold back his own pain in order to retain his composure. "You go check on Ruby," he murmured, pushing his chair under the dining table and righting Jaune's from where it had fallen onto the floor. "I'll go talk to Jaune." With that, he nodded to the innkeeper and lightly ran up the steps to find their blond leader.

Nora sighed, running her hands down her face tiredly. "What the heck is happening?" she whispered dolefully.

The innkeeper pulled out the chair across from Nora, taking a seat with a look of concern. "Dear, what in the world was that all about?" the elderly woman asked, clearly befuddled by the explosion her innocent question had caused.

All the orange-haired girl could do was sigh. "We went to Beacon," she said simply.

Immediately, the woman's eyes widened behind her glasses, and she brought a hand to her mouth to cover the gasp that slipped out involuntarily. "Oh- oh goodness. I… I didn't know." Her croaking voice was sincere, heartbroken for the four teens. "Were you all okay?"

The girl shrugged. "Our… me, and Jaune, and Ren… we were on the same team. Team JNPR." She snorted through her nose, but there was no joy- only weariness. "Ruby's from Beacon too. But her team… isn't exactly okay right now. And we… We… sorta lost… one of our teammates." The words tasted acrid in her mouth.

Empathy flooded the woman's knowing gaze. "My grandchild was killed half a year ago," she murmured quietly. "You know he only became a Huntsman after my son was killed? We're just innkeepers and carpenters in this family- not exactly warriors. But after he lost his dad, that dumb boy trained and trained, and got into Haven." Her eyes misted over nostalgically, and she smiled an exhausted, lonely half-smile. "But the boy got killed by bandits a while back. It's been six months." She reached out a wrinkled, leathery hand, grasping one of Nora's tenderly. "The loss doesn't get easier, dear. It never does. But you're all still alive. That counts."

The orange-haired girl smiled wistfully at the older woman. "Yeah, I know." And she did. Pyrrha wasn't the first person she had ever lost. It wasn't mature of her to hold onto Team JNPR- she knew it, no matter how much she wanted to cling to the peace of the past. But life wasn't fair. No matter how much she wanted it, her redheaded sister was never coming back. She'd give anything to be able to hold her best friend again- but there was no point in wishing for something she could never have.

The innkeeper could sense her resolve, smiling proudly at her. "You knew that without me saying it, huh?"

Nora chuckled dryly. "Yup. Pyrrha wouldn't want me to be sad. She was hurting so much when we were at school because of her own problems. I always just wanted to make her day a little better, to make her smile. I know she'd want the same for me."

The woman's eyes widened. "Pyrrha… Nikos?" When Nora only smiled ruefully at her, the elderly woman let out a deep, weary breath. "Even we knew of her, you know. It's the boonies, but… a lot of people in Anima were rooting for her."

"I know." But Nora's voice wasn't sad- she was just proud. "She was the best."

And the innkeeper smiled, and Nora's heart swelled joyfully. "It sounds like you were good friends."

"Yup!" She giggled. "The best."

Their conversation was interrupted by footfalls on the steps. Nora suddenly jumped to her feet. "Oh shoot! Ruby!"

"Well, go find your other friend! She needs a team, right?" The innkeeper winked, and Nora saluted and jumped to the foot of the staircase, waving brightly to a calm Ren and an embarrassed Jaune.

"She was the best," the blond mumbled.

"And we'll never forget her," Ren soothed.

The other boy exhaled heavily. "I was harsh, huh."

Nora rolled her eyes, bonked him lightly on the head, then waved the two of them outside. "Let's go check on her," she instructed. Jaune followed without complaint, but Ren had the gall to mutter, "Wasn't that your job?" to which she could only stick her tongue out and blow a raspberry.

They found Ruby leaning against a fencepost behind the inn, tears silently rolling down her face. When she saw them round the corner, she drew in a shuddering breath, wiping her cheeks clumsily and sniffing loud. Nora's heart melted when she saw just how small the younger girl looked, curled up against the wooden beam. Without a word, the orange-haired girl walked right over to Ruby and took a seat by her side, pulling her into a one-armed hug and drawing her head onto Nora's shoulder. The younger girl quaked under her touch, but didn't pull away.

Ren and Jaune quickly followed. Ren placed a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder as he crouched down by her other side. Jaune knelt down in front of Ruby, regret clear on his face even in the dark of night.

After taking a deep breath, Jaune whispered, "I'm sorry, Ruby."

"It's… it's my fault," Ruby wheezed, sobbing audibly at last. "I- I couldn't save her. She was your teammate, she's our friend, and I- I- I'm so sorry, I wasn't strong enough, I-"

Nora gave her a knock to her head with her own, startling the girl into silence. "Hush," she insisted. "You saved all of us, Ruby. Your eyes stopped the dragon, right? Why would we blame you?"

The girl's face twisted up in pain. "But, Pyrrha-"

"Pyrrha knew what she was doing," Jaune said quietly. Sometime during the exchange, his own tears had begun to flow once again. "She left knowing exactly what she was getting into." He gulped. "And she did it anyways. I… no one could've stopped her, I think. So… don't blame yourself."

Ren nodded sagely. "We're a team now, Ruby."

At that, Ruby began to wail in earnest, her youth showing so plainly that Nora's heart broke. She gathered the younger girl in her arms, hugging her properly. She shook and trembled in her arms, but Nora didn't let go.

Over Ruby's shoulder, she saw Jaune pick up a nearby twig. Carefully in the dirt, he wrote JNPR in the ground. The letters quickly darkened in spots as his tears hit the ground, but he persevered. After staring at the letters for a moment, he took the twig back to the letters.

With the shakiest hand, the blond drew an extra line under the P of their old team name. "…Junior?" he read quietly.

Nora patted Ruby on the shoulder to make her pull away, pointing to the letters. "JNRR!" she repeated to the girl.

Ruby whimpered, wiping her eyes dry to see it. A storm of emotions brewed over her face. In the end, though, a brilliant smile broke out over her lips, and a stumbling chuckle fell out of her. "JNRR," she repeated.

"J, N, R, R," Ren mused. "That works."

And then, Jaune's arms wrapped around Ruby and Nora, and Ren joined in on the hug. They sat on the ground for a long, long time. Nora basked in the warmth of her new team, ignoring the few trails of tears that fell down her cheeks, too.

We'll never replace you, Pyrrha. You'll always be with us. But we've got a mission to complete. Isn't that right?

She knew Pyrrha would have beamed at those words. The redhead was always so proud of how united their team was- they were, and would always be, the perfect family.