He didn't have many memories when he was a living dog in the Human World.
His life was probably a short one if his first memory was the comforting and warm touch of a person's large shaky hands brushing his black and white fur. They called him "Nigou", so he assumed this name was the one his former master had given him.
"Number two" of what, Nigou would ask himself. He never received an answer.
Waking up in Hueco Mundo was frightening at first, but Nigou learned he didn't need to eat to live or look for shelter to sleep compared to when he was an abandoned puppy. Those days he remembered vividly and they were the worst.
Nigou wanted to forget the bad memories.
xx
It was a very long time until Nigou eventually met the one who most resembled his former master. The stretch between his awakening as a Hollow and their meeting were unimportant now. It was just like when he was alive, from birth to puppy, and then to slightly larger puppy.
Nigou had not once had a reason to use his barks before, so he started out rasping on short breaths which grew to small yelps, and finally transformed into louder complete barks. He put all his pent up relief and joy into his barks, and Nigou aimed them at the passing massive Hollow with the split eyebrows.
Though Nigou was a tiny puppy Hollow, even he knew his new master was larger than most. Master was as tall as the sky when Nigou tried to look at his face which resembled his former master.
Master was the same as Nigou's former master whenever he looked at Nigou. A red split eyebrow would twitch at the sound of Nigou's bark, and he would turn around, wave a hand at Nigou to go away, and then escape from Nigou as fast as he could.
Nigou faintly remembered another significant person he met in the Human World. All Nigou could remember of them were the black wristbands around pale wrists, the faint scent of vanilla, and the shadow across his cardboard box, Nigou's previous home before he had been taken in by his former master.
Nigou could not remember, so he looked forward to creating happy memories with his new master.
"What's your name, little dog?" Master asked Nigou as he backed away, causing tremors in the surroundings.
Nigou traced his paws in the grainy sand and presented to Master his work.
"Ni...gou?" Master read uncertainly. Nigou barked in reply. "Smart dog, aren't you?"
He approached Master, but Master only gave him an uncomfortable look and trod on to a place where many other big, heavy Hollows resided.
The Hollows there were of many sizes, but they still gave off the feeling of "heavy" and "human". Nigou could barely walk past them, because they were so "heavy". Sometimes Master was "heavy", too, especially when he ate a lot of food. Master was very generous about food, another similarity with his former master, and gave pieces to Nigou, too.
Master was so nice. Just being with Master was good. Sometimes, Master would be angry, so angry Nigou could see a pulsing aura as raging red as Master's hair. Nigou stayed with Master in a safe spot until it was over because he resorted to violence in his fits. He learned in the past of Master's rage, and Nigou had a healing scar to prove it. It was an accident so Nigou forgave Master, because he loved Master.
A pink haired female Hollow had rescued him and helped Nigou heal with soothing care. Nigou would have enjoyed the warmth and contact if he had not been separated from Master for so long. From then on, Nigou had the reflex to run far away at the first sign of anger, but he did not want to part from Master again.
Nigou was content, yet he still felt something was missing.
Whenever Nigou slept, he could almost see the shadow from his memories. The presence of someone's cool touch and vanilla scent lingered whenever Nigou woke from dreaming of his Human World days filled with round brown-orange objects and netted hoops. Every time, Nigou would wake up with the feeling of forgetting someone important.
xx
A man who was very cold and a bespectacled man like a snake held him and gave Nigou a number like Master. It hurt a lot, but if Master had one, then Nigou would have one, too.
There was a third man who watched, and Nigou wanted to run away immediately. One look at him struck fear into Nigou's body, manifesting as paralysis. Nigou had never felt so scared, even more than when he had been left alone in the cold rain by the master of his mother's litter with only a blanket and a box to shelter him.
Nigou wanted to turn over and show his stomach in submission. If Nigou had been raised by a strict master, he would have felt fear of impending punishment if he did not obey.
The man did not feel Hollow or human. His presence felt even bigger than Master, even though the man was only the size of an ordinary human. His stare made Nigou feel as if he was an insect, not a dog, unnecessary and needing to be squashed.
Don't hurt Nigou. Nigou would listen. Nigou would be a good dog. Nigou would not ask for treats. Nigou would do everything he was told. Nigou would disappear. Nigou only wanted to please and be loved.
Nigou was relieved he did not see the man again. Nigou had first experienced the feeling of serving under a strict master, but the scary man was not his master.
Master was his only master, the one he loved most.
xx
The heavy Hollows in the walled fortress called Los Noches were very different from Master and each other.
One with hair like Human World grass would become irritated when Nigou peed on his wooden box with wheels. Often times, Nigou would hear a human shaped Hollow with an eyepatch and black hair call him "Shin-chan" with laughter. The "Shin-chan" called everyone else "nanodayo". Maybe they were communicating to Nigou with their strange barks. A bark in reply to "Shin-chan" and another for "nanodayo".
They played with Nigou and threw objects for him to catch and bring back when he visit. They were the more fun and loud human shaped Hollows he knew, but they weren't as interesting as Master.
Master laughed too. He laughed whenever a heavy being appeared to challenge him. He would sigh in disappointment if they died. Nigou was sad, too. Only the strong made Master happy, with exception to eating. The few who beat Master were the ones least eager to challenge him.
Always were they merciful and forgiving.
xx
The pink haired female Hollow who helped him heal his wounds was a predator.
She would stealthily sneak up on Nigou and proceed to encircle his body with thin but strong arms to her generous chest. Nigou enjoyed contact, as it was a necessity for all dogs, living or Hollow, but only to the point of petting.
"Aw, you remind me of someone I had a crush on! So cute..."
Nigou could not communicate he was uncomfortable or was losing oxygen because of the lack of thereof, and her kisses gave off waves of reishi. At close proximity, Nigou could take it in, so he ended up feeling full and light headed once she released him after moments of cooing and rubs to his ears.
It was as close to drunkenness a non-living dog could get. He avoided all things pink because of his sprouting fear of her dreaded, breathtaking hugs.
xx
The heaviest Hollow of the Arrancars was a dark skinned, blue haired Hollow who gave off the feeling of "loneliness". Nigou remembered it too well from his early days as a puppy surviving by himself.
The aura around the dark skinned Hollow was similar to Master's, but it was akin to a frozen, azure fire. It burned so hot it felt cold. Nigou would find him together with the pink haired Hollow, and he would call her "Satsuki". She in return called him "Dai-chan".
Sometimes, when Dai-chan was alone with Nigou, he would bring Nigou's body close like Satsuki, but more carefully. Dai-chan would hug Nigou gently in his arms, and pet him softly as if Nigou would break with too much pressure.
Nigou would bark in protest at him for being too soft in his petting. Nigou liked to be scratched by Dai-chan, because he knew the places Nigou liked. He suspected his knowledge had to do with the wolfish origins Dai-chan's power stemmed from.
"You're a little dog, and I could crush you right now. Why aren't you scared of me? Why don't you die off like the rest?"
Dai-chan would mumble to Nigou in barks he didn't understand. Nigou could not interpret the low barks, but he could somewhat understand the feelings his aura reflected and the emotion coloring his dark blue eyes. Dai-chan's aura would turn a blue so deep, it darkened to a black midnight. Dai-chan didn't seem to be aware of his declining mood, so Nigou would humble his fellow lonely friend with a nudge of his snout or a paw placed smartly on a large tan hand.
Dai-chan would laugh and call Nigou a "good doggie", and reward him with a Human World dog treat. Nigou missed eating them after consuming only reishi for so long. A happy bark and an eager wag of his tail was the trick to his receiving his treat.
If being a cute puppy didn't work, Nigou would whine and snuggle himself closer in Dai-chan's lap. The white of Dai-chan's uniform would be covered in hair later, but comforting a sad friend was more important. Nigou's attempts would eventually get the the dark skinned Hollow's attention, and wetness sometimes formed in his eyes. A few drops would fall to Nigou's nose and he would lick them, only to taste the saltiness and the sadness in them. They weren't very filling. The drops made Nigou feel empty.
"I'm sorry, Nigou. You were lonely too, huh? That Bakagami doesn't know how to treat lonely creatures like us right."
Dai-chan rarely would cry and hold Nigou up with two hands and bury his runny nose into Nigou's black and white fur. Nigou knew it was a sign of wanting comfort, from one canine to another. Once he felt better, his aura would lighten to a hazy indigo, the color of the Human World night sky before the new day's dawn. Nigou would rub his head against Dai-chan's tan tear streaked cheek, also feeling a little sad. Nigou didn't have this kind of comforting with Master.
In fact, Master didn't touch Nigou at all. A person Nigou couldn't remember gave Nigou touch, comfort, warmth, and food when he was alive. He knew this after repeatedly having the same dream every night. Nigou knew Master cared about him, but had a past trauma with dogs. He knew Master cared, because he noticed Nigou liked the smell of the vanilla food he ate and the color of the ceiling in Los Noches.
What Master didn't know was Nigou loved Master's pure smile more than the vanilla scented food. The spark in Master's normally fiery eyes was more dazzling than the fake sky the scary man had placed to secretly watch his Arrancars.
Master was rough but kind. Master was angry at the world, for being unfair and creating too little too strong. Nigou wanted to carry the burden for Master, but Nigou knew Master was too gentle. Master only showed his kindness to Nigou. Master stayed away from Nigou to keep him safe.
He really was the kindest master.
Nigou would have liked to meet his real Human World master, but Nigou would not trade his current happiness for his past life's happiness. His Human World master had a tendency to disappear, and it was what he did once Nigou woke up as a Hollow; his former master disappeared almost completely from Nigou's memory.
xx
The human shaped Hollow with bright red hair was a complete opposite of Master. One eye was also a shade of red, but the other was a golden yellow. The traces of tear marks of his respective eye colors bled on his cheeks, but he was not sad like Dai-chan. They were there like the pattern of Nigou's fur.
Master was a warm, blazing hearth while the tear faced Hollow was like controlled simmering flames. Unlike the other Hollows, Nigou knew his full name. After all, he addressed Nigou like a person. The Hollow had introduced himself as "Akashi Seijuurou" and acknowledged Nigou had simple intelligence, much more than an average dog. Nigou liked that he knew Nigou could understand. It made communicating his message much easier.
Everyone else usually called him "Aka-chin", "Seijuurou", "Sei-chan", or "Akashi-kun", but Nigou remembered him as Akashi for his vibrant hair. The red was sometimes unsettling to look at, flowing from under his helmet like Hollow mask fragment.
Akashi was smaller than the rest of the Hollows, specifically the Espada group Master belonged to. He was man-shaped, slender and fair, and was "heavy" on par with Master and Dai-chan. He had no Fraccion, and Nigou at first thought it was because it was not in Akashi's nature to be friendly.
"Nigou, what is it that you are number two of? Did the Cero give you such a name?
Akashi talked to Nigou often because Nigou could not understand most of his words.
"It's alright, little one. That man will not take your master away. Even I can see he feels affection for you."
He spoke gently so Nigou would not run away.
"Sleep well, Nigou. I hope you have better dreams than the last."
The Espada closed his eyes and smiled softly at Nigou in his quarters when he was resting, because he felt he would forget how to the next time he awoke.
"Filthy affection like this is for your master. Try doing this with Taiga or Shintarou next time."
He let Nigou lick his hand because the Espada wanted the simple pleasure of releasing his guard after so long. Akashi granted Nigou rare sides of himself because he knew such things were insignificant to Nigou.
"Nigou...I'm certain it hurt greatly when Nijimura and Imayoshi placed this number on you. Though, I wonder, why place a number on you, a mere Hollow dog, like they would an Espada...?"
Nigou would feel the faintest traces of confusion within Akashi after his conversations with a human he brought to Los Noches. The scent on Akashi was the human's smell of uneasiness and an almost unidentifiable feeling. It was a smell he knew from his past with his former human master who was not Master: a firm resolve.