Following their first introduction, Unknown returned to the yakuza base daily along with both Toga and Twice. In fact, Mimic insisted they arrive before sunrise each morning, berating them if they were even a moment late, which certainly did nothing for their affections towards the group.

Shie Hassaikai: that was their name. They were rather notorious these days, as she had learned from Twice afterward, especially with the unrest in the hero world. Even she had heard of them before, if only in passing. Amnestica had pestered her relentlessly after she returned on the first day, insisting she tell her everything about the group. Apparently she was a fan, which reminded Unknown exactly how unhinged the girl could be under that bubbly outer layer of hers.

Unknown had learned later on that Twice was the one to bring Overhaul to Shigaraki's attention. He and Toga filled her in on the events that followed, including Magne's death and Mr. Compress's injury, which would account for their hostility towards the group in general and Overhaul in particular. As for herself, she couldn't say she had much reason to like the young leader. Aside from his blatant reliance on his gruesome quirk- though perhaps she wasn't one to judge, she reminded herself plainly- he also had a cold, authoritative way of speaking to those below him that repulsed her. She wondered why the other members were so loyal to him, particularly Mimic and Chrono, when he treated them as nothing more than pawns to be shuffled around. But then again, she wasn't particularly interested in knowing. What she was interested in, however, was the secretive project they were working on- the one they had tried using her quirk for.

It was clear they had a very particular purpose in mind for her; after all, she was only here because they had specifically asked for her. Whatever they were working on must have been important. She didn't ask what the project was about, of course- she wouldn't get an answer either way, and it would only give them more reason to mistrust her. A bit of curiosity was certainly not a good enough reason to condemn herself to the ire of the yakuza. Instead, she did what she was best at: blending into the background. One might think members of a group like this would be wary of an outsider like herself, especially one whose face was plastered on every news channel in the country, but in fact, the lack of suspicion from the men around her was almost baffling. In the few days she had been there, she had glimpsed numerous conversations between other members that she was almost certainly not supposed to overhear: talk about special weapons, mentions of "The Boss," gossip about "her" attempting to run away again. Unknown wasn't sure if it was because they didn't notice her presence or because they simply didn't care, but she had quickly gleaned no shortage of her newfound allies' vaguely malicious plots.

In an unconscious effort to counteract the dreadful monotony brought by the surprising lack of activity at the base, Unknown often resorted to occupying herself by wandering the extensive halls. Today, she found herself doing just that; having just gotten away from Rappa trying to challenge her again, she now meandered aimlessly through the base in hopes of avoiding everyone else in the building.

Her shoes clicked quietly against the dull metal tiles. Cool, dry air filled with artificial light shifted softly as she stepped past another metal door that looked the same as all the rest. It seemed she was successful in her goal so far, as the halls remained devoid of any other people. They didn't seem to allow many of their members down here in the first place; in fact, most of the group was apparently composed of foot soldiers who were limited to the uppermost level of the base, anything beyond the hidden door remaining off-limits. She wondered what lay in these underground halls that they had to keep hidden even from their own men. Yet another reason she disliked Overhaul.

The silence of the barren corridor sunk into her skin- a looming, stiff kind of silence, much different than that of the imitation warmth she felt at home. At the thought of home, however, the sudden image of a familiar guest room flashed to mind. For a moment, she could almost feel the warm sunlight spilling through the large window next to her bed, she could almost smell the faint sweetness of the air that only ever filled real family homes, she could almost hear the sound of a familiar yelling just outside her door. And for a split second, it felt like she was really there.

Just as quickly as it had come, however, the memory once again faded to the back of her mind. She huffed indignantly and shook the memory from her head. She had been thinking too much about it recently, about them.

How ridiculous.

She didn't like the tightness in her chest whenever she thought about that house, that school, those people. None of it mattered. It wasn't real- not for her and not for them. It was nothing more than a means to an end, just like Ito Naoko, just like the League, just like everything she was doing even now, because she could see further than this, much further, and it didn't matter who she had to step on to get there.

She didn't care, and she could almost convince herself of it.

Unknown hadn't realized she had been scowling until a faint noise pulled her from her tumultuous thoughts. Slowly, the sour expression drained from her features, her brows unfurrowing, her jaw relaxing, until a familiar, comfortably blank stare remained in its place. Pausing in her steps, she glanced around at the still-empty hall, looking for anything that could have made such a sound. It was muffled enough that it could have come from one of the countless rooms along either side, or perhaps from an upper floor, seeing as this was the lowest level.

Or rather, the lowest level she was shown.

She heard it again, closer this time, and it did in fact seem to be coming from beneath her. Distant shouts reached her ears, though she couldn't quite decipher its contents nor could she tell who was speaking. There was something else too: not a voice, but… footsteps? The rhythmic thudding sounded like someone was haphazardly rushing up a flight of metal stairs, and it was getting louder rather quick-

The wall swung open a few steps ahead of her as a young girl burst into the hallway. She glanced around frantically, long white hair whipping messily behind her, before her eyes caught Unknown's.

"Get back here, you little brat!" a pitchy voice shouted from behind the open panel, causing the girl to flinch.

Unknown watched, puzzled, as the small figure dashed towards her like her life depended on it, a mortified expression on her face. The tiny, cloaked form of Mimic sputtered out from the same hidden door just as the girl ducked behind her.

"Hey! Temp!" Mimic jabbed an accusatory finger in her direction as he spotted her, "Don't let that kid get away!"

She heard the shallow breaths behind her hitch, only slowly resuming after a few seconds of motionlessness from her.

"Hey! You hear me?! Don't just stand there!"

She blinked, impassive eyes following Mimic as he marched up to her with as much intimidation as his tiny frame could manage. She felt a small, shaky hand grab onto the back of her jacket, tightly balling the soft material.

"The one day I have to babysit the brat and this happens! Overhaul won't be happy…" he muttered angrily as he moved around her to grab the girl.

She felt the hand quickly release her jacket as the small girl shuffled to stand by her hip, opposite of Mimic. She glanced down to see wide, fearful eyes peering warily at the man on the other side of her. Mimic stood still for a moment before circling behind her. The girl moved at the same time, crossing in front of her.

He took another step, and so did she.

"Quit moving!" Mimic demanded as he chased the terrified girl in circles around Unknown, frantically grabbing at her while she desperately kept herself just out of reach.

In any other situation, Unknown might have found the absurdity of this scene rather comical, but in the moment, she could only blink, puzzled, as he continued to screech and yell, scrambling around her as if she were a cement pole. It wasn't until he stumbled and inadvertently grabbed onto her leg that her lip curled sharply into a frown. She jerked her leg away and kicked him across the hall in one harsh motion, sending him tumbling loudly a few meters away. She felt the girl come to a stop behind her, once again grabbing onto the back of her jacket and peeking out from the gap between her arm and her side.

"How dare you!" Mimic flailed as he leapt to his feet, almost shaking, a finger pointing aggressively at her, "Who do you think you are?! You're working for us, kid! You better move aside and give me that girl or I'll make you regret it!"

"Try me."

Mimic flinched as he felt an invisible weight drop onto his shoulders. The bottom of his cloak instantly crinkled, sharply folding into itself against the floor and nearly knocking him over. A split second later, it disappeared as abruptly as it came, leaving him to stumble backwards as he frantically tried to catch himself.

His poisonous glare shot up to her angrily. He grit his teeth, realizing, even through his boiling fury, he wouldn't be able to take her one-on-one.

"D-damn brat! You just wait! Once I get Overhaul, h-he'll put you in your place! You better not move an inch, you hear me?! And you better not let that kid get away! You're about to get what's coming to you!" he yelled continuously as he ran down the hallway, making a beeline for the lab where he knew Overhaul would be. His string of threats and curses faded as he retreated, soon disappearing from sight and mercifully leaving the corridor silent once again.

Unknown sighed as she turned around. Glancing down, she saw big red eyes gazing up at her, brimming with fear and hesitation as the small girl clutched her hands in front of her chest. Unknown crouched down, arms folded atop her knees, meeting the girl at eye level.

"If you want to get away, you should start running now," she said plainly.

The words must have come out a bit more threatening than she intended, seeing how the girl's eyes widened as she took a step back. She was tense, clearly ready to flee at any moment, but a few seconds passed, and she remained motionless, her wavering gaze still locked with the older girl's.

Unknown blinked, tilting her head quizzically. "Are you going to run?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head.

"Why not?

She hesitated, eyes darting away for a moment before raising her hands. Trembling slightly, she made a motion in front of her mouth, imitating the shape of a beak.

Unknown blinked questioningly. "Mimic?"

The girl shook her head, repeating the motion.

"Overhaul?"

She nodded and pointed an unsteady finger towards the taller girl. The fear in her eyes seemed a bit too familiar, and for a brief second, an old memory came to mind.

"...you think Overhaul is going to hurt me?" she guessed, tilting her head.

The girl nodded stiffly, her gaze falling to the ground between them.

Unknown smiled as she placed a hand on the girl's head. "Do you have a name?"

Red eyes trailed up to meet hers for a brief moment before quickly lowering again.

"...Eri," she uttered quietly.

Unknown hummed- she had almost thought the girl was mute. "That's a good name. Well then, Eri, you don't have to worry about me. If you want to go, you should go, alright?"

Eri shook her head fervently, causing Unknown to blink in surprise.

"Overhaul will be here soon, you know," she stated, watching as the girl visibly winced at the name, yet still made no movement to run. She sighed, tilting her head as she ran a hand through the girl's snow-white locks. "I'm sorry, there's not much I can do for you," she admitted quietly.

Eri glanced up to meet her gaze, and she saw the unmistakable tint of sadness in her dark eyes. Her mouth opened slightly as she took a step forward, slowly wrapping her arms around the older girl.

Unknown stiffened awkwardly, blinking in surprise. After a moment, however, she hesitantly returned the hug, patting Eri on the back as comfortingly as she could manage.

She would provide what little solace she could, because she knew it would be fleeting.

As if on cue, the faint sound of footsteps and voices reached her ears. She pulled back from Eri and patted her on the head one more time. She gently removed herself from the girl's grip as she stood up, taking a step back just as the rapid footsteps gave way to Mimic practically bursting into the corridor.

"Right there, boss! There's the Sacrosanct girl!" he hollered, pointing an accusatory finger at her, "She needs to be taught a lesson!"

Overhaul stepped into the hallway a few moments later, his calm demeanor in stark contrast to the tiny, fuming man in front of him, who by now was practically vibrating in anger. His piercing eyes landed on Eri. Unknown saw her shrink away out of the corner of her eye before his pointed gaze shifted up to meet her own.

"What's this about?" he breathed lowly.

"I was just trying to catch the little brat when this insolent girl kicked me! Then she used her quirk to attack me when I told her to stand down! Can you believe it, boss?! Kids these days don't even know how to listen when their superiors give them an order!" They stood only a few feet away as Mimic stomped his foot in frustration, jabbing a finger towards her vigorously.

Overhaul's frigid eyes never left her own. "Is that true, Unknown?"

"Tell your men to keep their hands off me and maybe it won't have to be."

Mimic stiffened as Overhaul's gaze turned to him. "T-that was an accident and you know it!"

"I never thought Shie Hassaikai dealt with that kind of crime," she mocked flatly, her voice purposely sharper than it needed to be, "harassing women, touching them. Or is that just something you personally like to do, Mimic?"

"I-it's not like that! Boss, I swear I would never! I was trying to catch the brat but she kept running and I tripped and I accidentally grabbed her-!"

"That's enough," Overhaul sighed, his eyebrow twitching. Mimic instantly fell silent, shrinking away as his brash demeanor all but evaporated.

Golden eyes flicked up to her with a warning glare.

"I'll let this slide, both of you. I don't want to hear anything like this ever again; do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Fine."

"Good," he grunted, stepping forward. "Eri, come along now."

From the corner of her vision, she noticed the girl shiver. Unknown said nothing as Overhaul stepped past her, and she said nothing as Eri obediently turned to follow. She remained silent, facing forward as their footsteps echoed quietly behind her.

"You better start behaving yourself, kid! Next time you won't get off so easy!" Mimic exclaimed in a harsh whisper, careful to keep out of his leader's earshot.

"Is that what you think?" she hummed with disinterest, moving to step past him without sparing him a second glance. "We'll have to see."

A few weeks following the incident, the three borrowed villains still had little to do around the Shie Hassaikai base. Twice and Toga had both noticed how Mimic began to steer clear of them whenever he could, much to their delight, and particularly when Unknown was around. Out of sheer curiosity, they had interrogated her on what she had done to scare him so bad, and needless to say, they were absolutely thrilled to hear the story. They sat in the middle of an empty conference room as they discussed more ways to intimidate the man. Toga, of course, immediately brought up the idea of taking his blood and using her quirk to mess with him, while half of Twice insisted they shouldn't be trying to provoke their allies. The other half, naturally, was all for the idea.

The conversation didn't go anywhere, considering they were well aware of the fact that they would be stuck with these people whether they liked it or not, but it was nonetheless an amusing bit of entertainment.

After a few more days of the already-mundane routine, something different occurred.

The day started off rather unusually as Unknown and Toga had not reported to the yakuza base, rather they stood in a narrow alleyway just off a scarcely-used road, waiting listlessly. They had been called in by Shigaraki out of the blue, asking them to meet him there. He hadn't said much about why, though the two were more than glad to have any reason to stay away from the base.

"What do you think Tomura wants to see us for?" Toga asked, tilting her head. She stretched her arms behind her back, dragging her feet along the ground as she wandered in circles.

"I'm not sure," Unknown breathed across from her. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed loosely, her head tilted up at nothing in particular. "Maybe it's a new mission?"

"I hope it's not with any more organized crime people. I'm tired of them."

"Speaking of which, I feel a little bad for leaving Twice alone back there. He's going to be bored out of his mind."

"As long as his mask stays on, he'll be ok! Plus, if we get to do something exciting today, we can tell him all about it when we get back!" Toga flashed a toothy grin, throwing both arms up in the air.

"When is Shigaraki getting here anyway? It's past the arranged time." Unknown glanced around idly as she unconsciously played with the hem of her sleeve.

Just as the words left her mouth, a familiar portal warped into view a few feet away.

"Hi!" Toga waved as Shigaraki partially stepped out of the portal, silently motioning them over before disappearing back into it.

Exchanging curious glances, the two made their way towards the dark, swirling gate and slipped through after him.

On the other side, they found themselves on top of a skyscraper overlooking the bustling city streets below. She didn't recognize the area, though perhaps that was partially due to the angle. She spotted Shigaraki just a few steps in front of them, hunched as always.

"I have a task for you. You'll both be taking a break from Shie Hassaikai for a few days. Toga, you'll need to find the blood you collected from that Shiketsu girl- you're going to be infiltrating their ranks."

"Really?! That's so exciting!" the blonde cheered giddily, bouncing in place.

"What's the mission about?"

"It's not very complicated. There's going to be an event over there tomorrow," he gestured towards a large stadium below, its decorative spire curling high above the building, nearly reaching up to where they stood. "A number of student heroes will be there; I just need Toga to slip in and collect a few blood samples while they're distracted. Unknown, you'll be there in case she needs an escape route."

"Yay! I can do that!"

"Ok."

"The area all around the building is going to be guarded, and there will likely be a few pros inside the building as well. You'll want to be careful. I'll also have Dabi and that redheaded boy come with you."

"Horus?"

"Yea, him. If things go poorly, their quirks will come in handy. The three of you will meet here tomorrow morning, Toga will infiltrate the Shiketsu group and arrive with them. Just stay hidden unless she needs help or something."

"Right."

"Ok!"

"Good. Toga, come with me, I have something else to show you. Unknown, you can go. Don't be late tomorrow."

"Do I need to go back to the Shie Hassaikai base?"

"I don't care."

"Then I won't."

"Weren't you just saying you felt guilty leaving Twice alone there?" Toga grinned teasingly, raising a finger to prod at her arm.

"Not guilty enough to do anything about it," she sighed, eliciting a giggle from the blonde.

"Hurry up. I don't like waiting." Shigaraki narrowed his eyes impatiently as he stood with one foot through an open portal.

"Coming! See you later, Unknown!" Toga flashed a toothy grin before following him through the rippling gate.

Unknown promptly turned around, slipping through the portal behind her, before it too retracted and collapsed into itself.