When you woke up, you thought you were dreaming.

Stars zipped overhead, tails of bright white light tinged with pink or blue trailing along behind them. The wind rustled the bright orange leaves on the barren, skeletal trees. You stared at your hand, which was smudged with reddish dirt.

You sat up, noticing there was some sort of strange, thick material -- it looked like insulation of some kind -- was covering most of your body, hiding you from view, and realized you really were here.

Mato Planet.

This part of the planet was pretty barren, but you could see tall, odd shapes in the distance that must have been buildings for some sort of city. Bright orange and blue trees clumped together to form a forest nearby. However, you also realized another thing. The large grey building you saw before the crash was ... destroyed.

As in, you just destroyed at least half of a humongous factory. That actually might have been what cushioned the fall.

Amongst the burning wreckage and thick smoke, you realized you were alone. You couldn't see any of the aliens.

Your heart shot down to your stomach as fear set in. Did they leave you? No, they wouldn't. Maybe they couldn't find you. What if they thought you died? Or worse, what if they were captured by the Company?

"Daehyun?" You called out shakily, terrified someone ELSE might hear you. "Yongguk? Zelo? Himchan? Jongup? Y-Youngjae?"

There was nothing, and you knew it didn't take much for B.A.P to hear you. They were gone.

You had to do something. You couldn't just lie here in the open. You quickly took in your surroundings once more and tried to figure out what to do. You could either investigate the ruined remains of the factory, or make a break for it to the forest. The forest idea sounded the best, but you wanted some sort of provisions -- or at least a weapon or something -- before attempting survival.

You've always hated camping.

You gingerly picked your way through the wreckage. A lot of it seemed to be metal, which was melting or caught on fire. You wondered what kind of factory it was -- now that you were on the ground, it was huge, looming over you like a broken-down monster.

After a while of sorting through the mess, you noticed other weird things -- mainly metal parts that look like they belonged on robots. You shivered when you remembered Zelo was a robot. Did he have all this metal underneath his skin too?

These parts didn't look like they belonged to a human. One looked distinctly paw-shaped, like an animal's. You also saw dozens of bottles, syringes, needles, and packages filled with strange multicoloured liquids. Several had broke upon impact, and were bleeding into the red ground.

You dared yourself to move closer to the factory walls. Through the smoke, you saw something that resembled a gun on the ground. Your heart leapt. Once, Antonio took you on a cruise, where there was a shooting range. You were awful, but after a few days of practice you could almost hit the target. It's been years since you last tried, but even having one gave you comfort.

The relieved smile slid off your face when you noticed someone was still holding the gun. Someone who wasn't alive.

You cringed and tried not to make any sounds as you bent closer to examine the person. Yep, definitely dead. You couldn't bear to look too long at the corpse (who appeared to have died in the crash), but you couldn't look away. Why did the aliens look so much like humans? And for that matter, how could you breathe?

Perhaps the atmosphere resembled that on Earth. You felt a bit better at the thought of not suddenly suffocating in the near future, and you gingerly pried the dead alien's fingers away from the gun.

It was a strange weapon. Gun-shaped, but a bit rounder and softer along the edges. You tried to find the cartridge to see how many bullets were left, but it wouldn't open. Weird.

You aimed it at a spot on the wall and pulled the trigger. At first, nothing happened, until you realized the safety was still on. You had no idea where the bullets were, but you tried it out anyway.

BANG! You almost screamed as the explosion ripped through the air, the force throwing you off your feet and onto your back. When you looked up to see the damage, your eyes widened in horror. A great big hole had been blown into the wall, bigger than anything a NORMAL gun on Earth could achieve.

You stared at the gun, suddenly terrified at the damage it could cause. In the hands of a girl with barely any aim, no less. You wished you could just throw it away. Curl up in a ball. Cry. Sleep. Wait until it's all over.

But it won't be over, you told yourself firmly. This will never be over, not until I find my friends and bring the Company down. You can do this, Lina.

You stood up on shaky legs -- and almost fell down again when you heard a voice behind you:

"And what is a HUMAN doing here?"

You shrieked and, on instinct, immediately turned around, raised your alien gun, and fired. This was a stupid decision, in that: 1) You shouldn't waste bullets, especially if you don't know how much there are left; 2) The sound could potentially bring enemy aliens or monsters or whatever creepy things on Mato Planet; and lastly, 3) Nobody was behind you.

You frowned and peered through the smoke, which was gradually drifting away. Nobody. Did you imagine the voice?

"You heard me! Human girl! Yah! Down here!"

You looked down and screamed again, jumping backwards. A REAL alien!

It looked like a rabbit, with long floppy ears and a cute puffy tail. However, it was also standing up on legs, and its arms didn't end in paws, but large humanoid hands. Big, cartoonish eyes blinked up at you, twisted in an expression you could only assume was a grumpy and suspicious glare. It was hard to tell, since most of its face was covered by what appeared to be a red gas mask. Dark greyish fur covered its body, with army-styled patterns. His fur also grew into a target shape on its stomach -- or was it painted on?

"Are you going to answer me or what?" It demanded.

You stared at it, speechless. You couldn't get over what you were seeing. This, this was a real alien. And it was hard to actually grasp that fact and acknowledge it was standing in front of you.

The alien bunny grumbled to itself. "Are you with Yongguk?"

You stared. The name triggered a response. "W-what?"

"Yongguk. Leader of Sector B.A.P in the Company's Army. Are you on his side?"

His side? Your lips trembled, but you firmed your shoulders and aimed the gun at him. "Yes. He's my friend. And what about you?"

You couldn't quite tell (since the mask was in the way -- it reminded you of Daehyun) but it seemed like the alien bunny looked less angry. It -- or he, his voice was deep, obviously masculine, and eerily human-like -- lightened up. "Good. So am I. We've been waiting for you."

You felt yourself relax and lower the gun, but you stayed on alert in case this was a trick. "We?"

"The other Matoki. Oh," it -- he -- noticed your bewildered expression. "Sector B.A.P never told you about us, did they? I'll explain everything later, but you have to come with me now, and quickly. Once they realize the Matoki Factory has been destroyed, they'll send Company soldiers in here by the hundreds."

You gulped at the idea of facing all those alien soldiers alone. What choice did you have to follow these aliens? He DID say he was on B.A.P's side, but what if it was a trick? What if he was leading her to the enemy?

The alien bunny turned, as if to leave, then turned back when he realized you weren't following. "Come on," he stressed. "Or they'll find us!"

"How do I know I can trust you?" You demanded stiffly.

"You can't," the alien bunny replied calmly. "Then again, did you really trust Sector B.A.P when you first saw them?"

You paused. That was a good point. You didn't. You thought they were weird, then crazy ... then plain flat-out dangerous when they revealed they were aliens.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you," you warned him, gesturing to the gun in your hand. "And my name is Seo Lina, I'm the landlady to Gajok Boarding House, Seoul, South Korea."

The bunny made a funny noise that you realized was a laugh. "Yongguk taught you well, I see. I'm Shishimato, Yongguk's Matoki. Shall we go?"

You nodded grimly and followed him into the forest.

"So, what are Matoki anyway?" You asked as you followed the alien bunny -- no, the Matoki -- through the forest. The neon colours of the leaves and bark were starting to hurt your eyes. It was like staring at highlighters for hours and hours.

"Robot weapons, basically," Shishimato said casually. "Like Fighter Robot Zelo."

"You're a weapon?" You asked incredulously, trying to fight the burst of laughter trying to escape your lips. After all, it was, well ... it was a bunny.

"Technically, we are familiars," Shishimato explained. "We are created in the Matoki Factory, and we go through our own training to become accustomed to our new bodies and how to fight and kill. When a Matonian graduates from the Army, they are awarded with one of us, if we graduated ourselves. We are all branded with a unique design to show we are marked and not in the Academy anymore."

"Wow." You tried to find a good comparison on Earth. "So, like, you're kind of ... a reward for each other? Basically? As in, once Matokis graduate they get a Matonian companion, and if a Matonian graduates they get a Matoki companion. That's cool."

Shishimato looked thoughtful. "I've never thought of it that way. They generally treat us as lesser beings; since we're not real, and all. They treat us like animals. I like your version a lot better."

You smiled, pleased with yourself for gaining his trust. You really couldn't see how this bunny could hurt anyone. It was a bunny.

"Anyway, since I am Yongguk's Matoki, that makes me the leader of my group, which is comprised of Sector B.A.P's other Matoki," Shishimato said. "We may look small and harmless, but I can assure you that's not the case. We've been doing a lot since Sector B.A.P left for Earth. Mostly because we're faster than Matonians but just as strong, and harder to kill obviously. Governor Hyosung has been sending us on all sorts of missions and carrying messages."

"I'm sorry about Governor Hyosung," you said quietly.

Shishimato nodded, his bunny eyes looking troubled. "We tried to find her, get her back. We found the location, but the others got too reckless. Tats nearly killed himself trying to save her. We couldn't do it, not alone. Maybe with Yongguk and the others, we might make it ..."

"Do you know where they are?" You asked in a rush, eyes widening. "Do you know where they've gone?"

Shishimato nodded. "They were actually looking for you. They couldn't find you; they thought you died, or were kidnapped."

"Oh no ..." You felt terrible. Technically, it wasn't really your fault, since the tarp fell over you during the crash, but they were probably worrying themselves to death over you.

"It's okay," Shishimato said gruffly. "Once they give up, they'll come back here and you can give them a nice little surprise."

You nodded, smiling weakly. Shishimato reminded you a lot of Yongguk, with the same gruff caring personality. "Thank you, Shishimato."

"Yeah, well, uh ... humph!" He looked embarrassed and turned away from you. "You can call me Shishi, if you want. It's easier to say. Our Matoki names are a bit of a mouthful."

"I'll say. Shishi is cute."

"No it's not! I am a powerful alien being! A robot weapon for war! There is nothing remotely cute about it at all!"

You were laughing now -- and the laugh died down to wonder when Shishi stopped, and you looked up into the forest.

Up above in the treetops, resting on the orange and blue branches, were tree houses of some kind. Lots of them, and large, too (the trees were enormous), connected with bridges and ropes and ladders. They were brilliantly camouflaged, too; you didn't even notice them at first, they were so well hidden with the other trees.

"YAH! I'M BACK!" Shishi hollered. "Toss down the ladder, Tats!"

"What's the passsswoooord?" Came a voice singing from the top.

"Eu-Ak almighty, Tats! Just drop the stupid ladder!"

"I have orders from Himchan not to let anyone suspicious in! You can't make me!"

The playful and silly voice from this Tats Matoki meant he was definitely Himchan's Matoki. You were starting to notice the bond between Matoki and Matonian; it wasn't just randomly picking one out. It was like they were made for each other. Even their personalities were similar.

"Tats, drop it now!" Shishi paused, then added, "I have the human with me. Seo Lina."

There was a pause, and the voice came out from the leaves again. "The Seo Lina? Himchan's yabboo or yeobeo or whatever?"

"It's her."

There was another pause, then a ladder swung down. Shishi clambered up as though it was second nature, you following clumsily behind.

When you got to the top, you entered the tree house through a hole in the ground. It was much better than any tree house you made with Antonio, that's for sure. The wood was polished and covered with rugs, curtains, and weapons that hung from the walls. Tables and chairs fit comfortably in the space, and chests full of items were shoved along the wall. You stood up, and for the first time felt glad you were short. Your head was a few inches below the ceiling.

In the room, sitting on chests or chairs or the floor, were five other Matoki -- your precious friends' Matokis. The aliens stared at you curiously, and you unabashedly stared right back.

One of them, wearing a pink mask, squealed and threw himself at you.

"So YOU'RE Seo Lina!" It shrieked. "Himchan was right, you really ARE pretty! You're the first human I've ever seen! Joko, look! Isn't she adorable?"

One Matoki, with a yellow and white mask like a clown's, stared at you. "She's ugly."

He promptly got smacked in the head.

"Ow! I didn't mean it like that! I meant ALL humans are ugly!" That earned him another kick.

"You must be Youngjae's Matoki," you said with a slight laugh, hugging Himchan's Matoki, Tats. He was the perfect fit, like a stuffed animal (which you actually own a bunch of, and keep in your closet. It's an embarrassingly guilty pleasure to collect stuffed animals) or a koala bear. Tats seemed pleased, and was making a noise in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a purr.

The other Matoki jumped around excitedly and attempted to introduce themselves all at once. Based on their personalities and greetings, you were able to immediately tell which ones were which.

The silent, grey-masked Matoki that stayed in the corner was Keke, and definitely Daehyun's Matoki. You wondered if Keke had Daehyun's sarcastic, teasing attitude as well.

The shy green-masked bunny with the tire track marks on his body was Dada, and absolutely Jongup's. He even had the same way of hiding behind objects and peeking out bashfully.

Lastly, the youngest Matoki and the baby of the group was obviously Zelo's Matoki, Toto. He resembled a robot too, with an extra feature on his head that resembled one of those wind-up toys. He was playing with a baby bottle and what seemed to be baby rings when Shishi introduced him to you.

"This is Totomato, our youngest," Shishi declared formally. "Fighter Robot Zelo is a special case amongst Matonians, only one of his kind. First prototype, actually. So he insisted on customizing his own robot, and this came out. It took a while to make him, and he's already programmed with all war knowledge he needs, so he never had to go to the Academy. That's why he's still a baby even though he technically graduated."

"Lucky," Tats muttered jealously from his spot in your arms.

"He's our secret weapon," Jokomato said proudly, clinging to your shoulder. "Dangerous and deadly, just like Fighter Robot Zelo! Not as cool as my Youngjae, though."

You stared curiously at the baby robot, who finally noticed your presence. It looked up at you, then started waving its little arms. "Hello hello hello!"

You couldn't help yourself. With a tiny squeal emerging from the back of your throat, you gently placed Tats onto the floor ("Hey!" Tats whined) and picked up Toto, cradling him in your arms.

"Hello hello hello!" He sang, still waving at you.

You were dying in cute animal heaven. You were certain your heart would explode and you would float gently away to utopia.

"Not fair! Not fair!" Tats was complaining to Shishi, who looked like there were a million other things he wanted to do rather than listen to his General. "Why does Toto get everyone to dote on him just because he's the stupid baby?"

Shishi rolled his eyes. "Because he IS a baby. Did you feed him yet?"

"! No!" Tats ran off somewhere. You looked out the window and saw him zipping along a bridge to another tree house.

"That's where the kitchens are," Dada said shyly. You wondered how he managed to not stab anything with his spiky mask.

"Thank you, Dada," you said kindly to him, just like you would with Jongup. A strange green blush appeared on his fur, and he ducked away.

"Tats, when will they come back?" Joko was asking the pink Matoki, a troubled look appearing in his eyes. 

"I don't know," Tats said nervously. "When they couldn't find yeobo ... they were pretty worried. They looked crushed."

"Noona?" Toto suddenly burst out. He flailed a bit, then stared at you, then placed his tiny little hands on either side of your face. "Noona has to find Zelo. Zelo sad. Zelo couldn't find noona."

You nodded, instantly feeling ashamed that you were so distracted by the cute bunnies. "I understand. I'll go out and look for them."

"Oh no you won't," Shishi interrupted, glaring at you. "You're staying right here. We can't afford you getting lost, or worse, getting found. Yongguk and the others will be back soon, trust me."

You nodded and slowly sunk to the floor, still holding on to Zelo, Joko still clinging to your arm. You stayed in that position, even when Tats returned with a bottle of milk he had to give to Toto, and when Dada finally got over his shyness and crawled over to take a nap against your knees. Even when Shishi and Tats fell asleep in your lap after going through maps of Mato Planet.

You stayed awake as night fell. You felt tears threaten to fall, but you held them back.

You'll wait for them to come back. No matter how long it will take.

And you will greet them with a smile.

FADGHPUAG BANGTAN BOYS ARE DEBUTING TOMORROW

DOES ANYBODY FEEL AS EXCITED AS ME??!!!!

I AM LITERALY DYING OF FEELS RIGHT NOW I HAVEN'T BEEN THIS EXCITED SINCE B.A.P RELEASED ONE SHOT