A/N: So recently, I've started getting into manhwa comics (notably, The Gamer and Girls of the Wild's), and as a fanfic enthusiast, I've naturally come up with a few ideas. This one popped up just a day or two ago, and since I have literally no self-control, I started writing it up immediately.

And thus, a fanfic was born.

Anyway, this is just a basic crossover where a character from one piece of fiction (in this case, Ichigo) gets entangled in the plot of another piece of fiction (in this case, GotW). Fortunately, this fits quite snugly with canon of Bleach, since this will be set during the seventeen month time-skip after Ichigo pwns Aizen.

Regardless, I just wanted to see how far I could go with this and be done with it. Just, y'know, to get the damn thing out of my head. I have entirely too much crap going on up there, anyway.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of either the Bleach franchise, nor the web comic Girls of the Wild's. Be thankful, 'cause if I did, both stories would suck. A lot.

Warnings: General warnings for T-rated fanfic; some blood, some 'adult' situations, a whole helluva lot of swearing and cursing, and since I know little to nothing about South Korean education and culture, lots of artistic license regarding that sort of stuff. You have been warned.

Chapter 1: Wild Strawberry

"Oi, Jae Hyung, Jae Som. Up and at 'em already."

Casting an eye on the three brown-thatched heads lying in the futon in the middle of the room, Kurosaki Ichigo wondered just how he had managed to wind up in his current predicament, ready to start his second year of high school hundreds of miles from home in a foreign country at a place that had previously been a celebrated all-girls school. Not to mention unofficially adopting a family of three. Sometimes, he lamented his overprotective nature.

Of course, it had been Oyaji who'd kicked it all off. After the whole thing with Aizen and losing his shinigami powers and everything that went with them, Ichigo had felt like just sleeping for a few years. Unfortunately, he still had to tend to his education and see that he could make enough money to support himself (and his family when Goat-Face eventually went completely batshit), but he finished up first year with moderately good grades.

However, something palpable had been missing in his life, and he knew that, for all his griping as a child about wanting to just be normal and not be able to see spirits, he missed the good old days (and geez, he felt so old even thinking that) when he and his friends patrolled their city, cutting through any Hollows that got in their way.

Well, his friends still went on patrols, even if they tried unsuccessfully to hide it. Had they always been so transparent in their excuses (once, Chad had just straight up asked the teacher if they really cared by that point and walked out)? Regardless, his inability to help Chad, Uryu, and Orihime constantly grated on his nerves. It was nobody's fault but his own for choosing to use Mugetsu, and he had learned that he needed to live with the consequences of his actions early on in life, so all he could do was suck it up and move on.

But what with everyone starting to gear up for their futures and college exams looming just a couple years away, nobody seemed to realize that he was slowly digging himself into a rut, with the possible exception of Tatsuki, who always seemed to know when he was in one of his moods and dragged him off to spar or play Tekken. His sisters more than likely had an inkling of what was going on as well.

It had been a surprise, therefore, when Isshin of all people had sat him down with a face more serious than any Ichigo had ever seen on his father.

"Ichigo, you need to get away from here for awhile."

"What the hell? Are you trying to kick me out already? I'm not even done with school yet!"

"Calm down, Ichigo. You need to be away from this place in order to recover from all of your ordeals this past year. You've been too busy, and even you can't hide your feelings from your old man. There's a school in Seoul that's willing to accept you at the beginning of March, and I've enrolled you for a semester. If you don't like it, we'll bring you back."

"Seoul? As in Seoul, South Korea!?"

Ichigo remembered that conversation as distinctly odd, the way his pops had used actual logic and common sense to back up his arguments (with only a few of his usual dumb ass remarks tossed in for consistency), and in the end, Isshin had worn him down and lo and behold, Kurosaki Ichigo was in South freakin' Korea.

Even more suspicious was the fact that Geta-Boushi had been the one to see him off rather than his family, giving him a rather large duffel bag that contained "the essentials," according to the ex-captain. Upon his arrival in Seoul, Ichigo discovered that apparently, that entailed a map to, and a key for, his (already paid-for) apartment, a few school uniforms, and (motherfucking Geta-Boushi) one billion won. A card nestled in with all the essentials noted that he should consider this a thanks for taking care of the God-sized pain in the ass known as Aizen Sousuke.

Once he'd settled in, he began to relax, something that he didn't think could be possible after all the insane shit he'd been through. His father had been right; ever since he'd met Rukia, his life had been one disaster after the next, and he'd begun to unconsciously look for threats.

It had been exhausting, always coiled like a spring wound up too tightly, and he thought that perhaps his dad had been onto something. After all, he was a doctor, and it was pretty hard to fake a medical degree these days. Who knew, maybe Ichigo had been suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or some psychological bull crap. Whatever it was, Ichigo truly hadn't felt so calm in what felt like forever.

And then he'd met Song Jae Gu and his twin siblings.

It had taken a bit of doing, but Ichigo had found himself a part-time job (because fuck if he was going to live off Geta-Boushi's money; he could use that to buy himself a car somewhere down the line) at a car wash just a few minutes from his apartment and the school he'd be going to. The manager was quite nice and respectful of Ichigo's privacy, and most of his co-workers seemed friendly enough.

By the end of his first week in Korea, Ichigo had a rather comfortable place to live, a vague plan for school, and knew the people he interacted with on a regular basis enough to (tentatively) call them acquaintances. Song Jae Gu was a different story, though. He was quiet, really only spoke to the manager, and kept his head down and his back bent most of the time.

Ichigo couldn't call him rude (the pot and kettle); anytime Ichigo spoke to Jae Gu, the younger boy would answer as politely as possible, if slightly stilted, and try to worm his way out of the conversation as quickly as he could. Ichigo would allow it because he knew that he could be pretty intimidating to strangers, what with his practically trademark scowl, but there was just something about the slant of the kid's shoulders that had his protective instincts flare up. It was like Jae Gu had the weight of the world pressing down hard on his back, and Ichigo knew exactly how that felt.

One day, about a week before school was set to start, Ichigo decided to make a little extra for his lunch because he'd seen Jae Gu's pitiful excuse for a bento day after day, and nobody could work the way Jae Gu did on an empty stomach without some serious problems.

So when the workers settled down for their afternoon break, Ichigo plopped himself down on the bench next to Jae Gu, whipped out his lunch, and waited for the younger boy to finish off the tiny cup of rice he'd brought.

"That all you're gonna eat?" Ichigo had quipped in what he hoped was an offhand tone.

Despite his meekness, Jae Gu bristled. "It's all I need," the brown-haired boy snapped, and Ichigo internally nodded in approval; at least he had some fight in him.

"You work twice as hard as anyone else on half a tank of gas at best, kid," Ichigo had retorted, catching Jae Gu in a not-quite glare. "If you don't take better care of yourself, you're gonna end up collapsing halfway through the work day."

Before Jae Gu could say anything else, Ichigo slid some food across the bench. It wasn't anything special, just a bit of gyudon and some onigiri with bean paste inside. He was no Yuzu, but people often forgot that it had been Ichigo who had taught Yuzu the basics before she'd gone all Martha Stewart on them, and he knew his way around the kitchen fairly well.

"I don't know any Korean dishes, so you might not like it, but..."

"I don't want your charity," Jae Gu had said after a moment's pause as he salivated over the beef.

Ah, so that was it. Jae Gu's family was poor.

"It ain't charity," Ichigo grumbled. "I just made too much, and it'll go to waste if nobody eats it." Ichigo jerked his head at the few other workers on their shift. "Those clowns do half-assed work at best. You're twice as diligent, and if we have our best washer faint like a swooning girl it'll be bad for business."

Jae Gu slanted a suspicious look at Ichigo, then down at the food between them. "Well," he'd mumbled hesitantly, "if it's for the good of the car wash..."

Ichigo had never seen anyone devour his food so quickly.

Over the next couple of days, the pair had formed a friendly rapport and Ichigo had started cooking lunch for two. It went on until two days before the Wild's High School opening ceremony.

"Sunbae," Jae Gu had begun. "Erm...well, yesterday, I saved a bit of the lunch you made and brought it home." Ichigo had seen the little sleight of hand, but chalked it up to Jae Gu wanting to squirrel it away for later. "My siblings, Jae Hyung and Jae Som enjoyed the curry rice you made...and I was wondering if you'd...um...teach me how to make it?"

"No problem," Ichigo had agreed easily. It was the first time Jae Gu had even spoken about the rest of his family. "So I'll just go with you to your home, we'll pick up some ingredients along the way and cook there."

"Ah...well, I'm not sure the twins will be too thrilled if I bring a stranger home..."Jae Gu trailed off in embarrassment.

"They're twins?" Ichigo tried not to let his pleased grin show. "I have twin sisters back in Japan. You might find this hard to believe, but I'm actually pretty good with kids. Jae Gu had raised an incredulous eyebrow at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"I...I guess, if they don't mind."

And so, that night, Ichigo had gone up the hill to the tiny little shack the Song family called home, met a pair of absolutely adorable fraternal twins, and cooked for them. And in the end, Ichigo had spent the night out in the small courtyard, struggling with himself.

The day after, since both Ichigo and Jae Gu had the day off to prepare for school, Ichigo had taken the brunette aside while the twins played with a puzzle Ichigo had picked up for them.

"You're coming to live with me."

The surprise and incredulity Jae Gu had expressed was gut-wrenching for Ichigo. He had no idea what these siblings had gone through, but he knew that he wouldn't stand aside and watch it happen. From what he'd been able to glean from the twins' loose lips and Jae Gu's tight-lipped expressions, they'd been living alone for quite a while with only Jae Gu's limited income to support them. The apartment Geta-Boushi had managed to procure for him was only a one bedroom/one bathroom affair, but it was miles beyond the little single-room-period place they were in.

Jae Gu had spent the next two hours trying to talk Ichigo out of his decision, but the poor boy had no clue that Ichigo was stubborn enough to launch what amounted to an invasion of a foreign land with half a dozen fighters, little to no intel, and manage to come out on top with not a single loss on their side. Nor did he realize Ichigo had fought for three months straight just to learn a single technique. There wasn't a damn force in this entire universe that could change Ichigo's mind once it was made up, least of all Song Jae Gu.

So once they'd met with the Song's landlord, convinced him that they would no longer be living there, and packing up their meager belongings, Ichigo had taken Jae Gu, Jae Hyung, and Jae Som back to his place and set them up.

Sleeping on the couch had been a bit odd, but he figured that he'd slept in absurdly spacious sewers and under the light of an eternal moon in an endless desert, so he could suck it up.

It was well past midnight when Ichigo heard the footsteps padding uncertainly across the hardwood floors toward him. Sitting up, Ichigo's eyes made out Jae Gu's silhouette, and turned the lamp on, startling the brunette.

"Sorry if I woke you up," Jae Gu hurriedly apologized, but Ichigo waved it off immediately.

"I wasn't asleep yet. I have some trouble with insomnia lately." Which wasn't a lie; sometimes, random scenes of the past year sneaked into his dreams, only with more gruesome outcomes than he had ever imagined. He made some room for Jae Gu to sit down, and the boy slid onto the cushions.

He was quiet for a while, then, "Why are you doing this?"

"We've only been friends for a few weeks, so you don't know this," Ichigo said quietly. "I'm the kind of person who, if I see something that bothers me, I do my damnedest to change it. I don't like how you've had to carry whatever burden it is on your shoulders for so long, so I'm changing it the best way I know how. You don't deserve that, and neither do the twins."

Ichigo glanced toward Jae Gu, and was mildly panicked when he noticed moisture running down his new roommate's cheeks. Crying girls, he had some experience with, having Yuzu as a sister and quite a few overemotional female friends. Crying boys were a problem he was definitely not equipped to handle.

"I just...we haven't..." Jae Gu managed to rein in his emotions and wipe the tears from his face. "I'm not used to people showing such kindness."

"Yeah, people can be jackasses," Ichigo allowed. He was only sixteen, but he knew better than many how cruel the world could be.

"My dad died when I was really young," Jae Gu said in a tone of voice that Ichigo had only heard from people describing their back stories. "I can't even remember what it was that killed him anymore...when he died, I told my mom that I'd help her out with everything." Jae Gu choked out a bitter laugh, something Ichigo had never heard from the usually meek, kindhearted kid. "I suppose she took that to mean that I would take care of literally everything. She left us a little bit of money and a bank account, and then left."

Ichigo felt his heart plummet. Their mother had abandoned them!? He had to clench both his teeth and his fists in order to stop himself from yelling or breaking something; it wouldn't do for Jae Gu to think he was mad at him.

For Ichigo, who'd had a loving mother and a supportive (if admittedly crazy) father, parental abandonment was something that he quite literally couldn't comprehend. Parents were supposed to be there for their kids no matter what happened. Even Goat-Face hadn't pulled something like that when Masaki had passed and had done his duty as a father. He was great with the girls, and at this moment in time, he thanked whatever higher being up there that his batshit insane pops hadn't flown the coop and left him in charge of Yuzu and Karin.

"That was almost four years ago. The landlord back there, he was nice enough to let us live on his property, and Manager Kim gave me the job at the car wash, but...nobody's ever been as kind as you have."

Ichigo felt stinging in his own eyelids even as Jae Gu started crying again. "You must have terrible luck then, Jae Gu, if I'm the nicest person you've ever met. I won't lie; you've had a shit life. The world's been using you like a cosmic crapper." Jae Gu's shoulders began slumping as he hunched down, acknowledging his destiny as the lowest of the low.

"But you wanna know something?" Ichigo forged on, grabbing Jae Gu's shoulder to draw the brunette's attention. "You're still here. You're still kicking and punching and screaming, defying whatever fate's been hoisted onto your shoulders. You're a damn fine brother, a hard worker, and I would be proud to be able to count you as a friend."

The shocked look in Jae Gu's gray eyes was reason enough to go through with this. Someone who could survive four years like that was someone with a strong, nigh indomitable spirit, and Ichigo would be damned if he let the world keep pushing this young man around on a whim until he broke.

"From now on, you won't have to worry so hard about taking care of your family. 'Cause now you're part of my family, and the Kurosaki don't let family down, no matter what."

That was probably the straw on the proverbial camel's back because Jae Gu just let out a small sob and leaned into Ichigo, bawling like he hadn't done so in years. From the bedroom, two squeaks preceded a pair of brown-haired missiles homing in on Jae Gu.

"Oppa, don't cry," Jae Som wailed even as tears streamed from her eyes. "You're the best oppa ever, so don't worry about us."

Jae Hyung, doing an admirable job of holding back his own blubbering, added, "Yeah, now that we've got hyung with us, you can rest sometimes. And we're big and grown up, so we can help you also!"

Ichigo, having had more crying kids around him than he'd had in the last five years, stood up and began guiding the three siblings back to the bedroom. "Okay, now that we've had our little tear-fest, it's time for sleep. Everyone's got a big day tomorrow."

And so, Ichigo found himself whipping up some tamagoyaki for breakfast while the twins washed up and changed into their daycare uniforms. He made sure to let Jae Gu catch a couple extra winks before nudging him awake as well.

"Sunbae, you could have woken me up," Jae Gu muttered reproachfully as he shoveled down the eggs and some rice. "It's the least I can do."

"You've already done more than you need," Ichigo shot back. "Now hurry up and get changed for school. It's your first day of high school right? Where is it, anyway?"

"Ah, I got a scholarship at a school very near here, you might have heard of it..."

"DOWN!" Jae Gu jumped as Jae Som turned the television on and it blared out commentary for a highlight reel of some female fighter named Queen. "It's the fourth down! Kim Hye Shin is down. She's sitting, but can't stand up!"

"...it's called Wild's High School," Jae Gu muttered after turning the volume down. Ichigo watched the rest of the match, noting the bullheaded determination of the redheaded fighter before she got kicked in the forehead.

"She's got some spunk," he noted, jabbing his chopsticks at the screen. "So, we're going to the same school, huh? Do you know anything about it?"

"Well, I hear it's a prestigious sports school," Jae Gu said absently as he made sure Jae Hyung didn't forget to put on his underwear again. "I probably won't fit in, since all the clubs have something to do with martial arts."

"I could teach you some stuff," Ichigo offered as he checked the time. "I used to be pretty good at fighting." Jae Gu would never have to know how much of an understatement that was.

"I'm not...I don't like fighting," Jae Gu mumbled, and Ichigo got the sense that there was more to it than just Jae Gu being a pacifist.

"Well, whatever," Ichigo shrugged. "Let's get going. Gotta drop off the twins before we head over to Wild's."

"You don't have to walk me to school," Jae Gu puffed up indignantly.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? We're going to the same high school, after all," Ichigo said, wondering if this was what it was like for Geta-Boushi whenever he revealed some unknown-to-everyone-else tidbit of information. Jae Gu's flabbergasted expression was totally worth it.

Song Jae Gu had spent pretty much the past week in an almost constant daze of confusion. Somehow (and don't ask Jae Gu, because he certainly had no clue), a foreigner only a year older than him with a gruff scowl and hair the color of autumn had swooped in, befriended him, and then taken Jae Gu and his twin siblings under his wing (and into his apartment) with barely so much as a by-your-leave.

And damn it, it had probably been the best week Jae Gu had experienced in years.

At first, he had been more than wary of the Japanese exchange student who'd gotten work at the car wash, especially with that intimidating face of his. But after only a few days of knowing Kurosaki Ichigo, Jae Gu had realized that that near-constant frown of his was something like a defense mechanism. It was Ichigo's warm brown eyes that convinced him, really. No matter how much Ichigo bitched about not being nice, or kind, his eyes told the story of a soul as mushy as juk.

The way he treated the twins (and young kids in general) was also quite telling. So when Ichigo offered (read: demanded) that they could stay with him, Jae Gu hadn't dug his heels in quite as much as he could have. It was very...different, waking up to the sound of a meal being prepared and the twins pattering around while Ichigo nagged them into washing up and eating like an experienced mother hen, and then being nagged at to get up as well.

No one had woken him up like that since...

...anyway, it had been quite a change of pace for Jae Gu, but definitely not an unwelcome one. The fact that Ichigo could make grilled eggs taste so good was simply an added bonus. Then, of course, Ichigo had revealed that he was going to be going to the same high school as Jae Gu, albeit in a higher grade, but the fact remained.

He would have at least one friend, never mind that Jae Gu knew practically nothing about Ichigo other than that he was from a place called Karakura, and that he had twin sisters a few years younger him and a father back home. Perhaps the reason Ichigo had reacted so...severely to his situation was that his mother had run off as well.

After seeing the twins off at the bus stop, the pair of high schoolers headed off toward Wild's and their first taste of Korean secondary education.

"That stuff'll stunt your growth, y'know," Ichigo muttered, jerking his chin at the bag of coffee milk Jae Gu was nursing as they walked.

"But it's good," Jae Gu most certainly did not whine, clutching the bag defensively. "It's kept me running for four years without any problems."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo began, looking ready to lecture him.

Instead, he glanced sharply to his left as someone shouted, "I'LL COUNTER LIKE THIS!"

Jae Gu only had time to register the surprised look on the girl on the bike before he felt a hand snatch his collar and yank him out of the way of the tire bearing down on him. Unfortunately, he felt the milk bag fly out of his mouth, and he spared a moment to lament the lost nectar of the gods.

Which then promptly spilled all over the (very shapely) legs of the girl who was walking with the bike-girl.

She wore the same uniform both Ichigo and Jae Gu wore (with the exception of a skirt rather than trousers, obviously), and had long, blonde hair that cascaded down her back.

"Oh, this is going to get ugly," the bike-girl muttered under her breath with a grimace. Her rose-colored hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a red tracksuit with yellow accents to match the bike she rode.

"Alright, Jae Gu?" Ichigo asked, releasing his grip on his jacket. Jae Gu saw Ichigo's eyes dart across to where the two girls were disinterestedly, and he realized that he had ruined the blonde's uniform.

"I'm so sorry, he apologized immediately, "but you know it was a mistake, right? I didn't spill my coffee on you on purpose...but..."

Ichigo rested a hand on his shoulder and said, "We'll foot the dry-cleaning bill, don't worry. And, y'know, sorry and everything." He slanted his gaze toward bike-girl and said, "You really should watch where you aim that thing."

Before the redhead could answer, the blonde ground out, "Never mind the uniform. Stockings: one-thirty, shoes: one-fifty. Replace it."

"Huh? Really?" Jae Gu began rummaging in his pockets and pulled out some change and handed over some coins. Then, thoroughly embarrassed, Jae Gu pulled Ichigo along by the sleeve, leaving the two girls rooted to the spot. He thought he heard the redhead snicker, but he didn't stop until they were out of sight.

"I'm pretty sure her stockings and shoes were more than that," Ichigo said slowly, "unless I've seriously misunderstood how won vs. yen works."

Once his mind cleared, Jae Gu realized that of course they would have cost more than that. She must have been talking ten-thousands. But then, "Her stockings and shoes cost millions of won?"

"Rich people can be pretty stupid," agreed Ichigo. "Come on, we can't be late. I'm fairly certain we're the only guys this year."

It took him a few steps, but Ichigo's comment sank in. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Oh, did I not mention?" Ichigo asked, a half-smirk pulling his lips up on one side. "Up until this year, Wild's High has been an all-girls school for the last forty-two years.

Jae Gu would swear to his dying breath that Ichigo enjoyed the high-pitched sound he made upon learning that particular revelation.

After-Action Report: So, there we have it. From what my research has led me to believe, there is only one crossover between Bleach and GotW, by the marvelous Infinite Zangetsu (who helped me get this thing started and read a bit of the opening chapter. I hope this doesn't get lost in the archives like so many other fanfics do.

If you didn't know, gyudon is a bowl of rice with stewed beef ontop while onigiri are rice balls, commonly wrapped in nori seaweed. Tamagoyaki is something like a multi-layered Japanese omelette. And when Jae Gu is talking about how Ichigo's soul is as soft as juk,he is referring to Korean porridge. I think I got all of them, but if you have questions, just review or PM.

I seriously don't know how Korean honorifics work (I barely comprehend Japanese honorifics either), but from what limited experience I have, I think oppa is how a girl would refer to her older brother, and likewise hyungis how a boy would refer to his older brother. Sunbae is the Japanese equivalent of sempai/senpai and that's basically my knowledge of Korean honorifics.

I wouldn't mind some help on that front.

Regardless, if you have questions, comments, corrections, or just pure, unadulterated flames, review or PM. And thanks for reading!