Disclaimers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters belong to Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, Sandollar Television, Kuzui Enterprises, Mutant Enemy, Fox Television Productions, and UPN. Any copyright infringements were not intended. This story was written for entertainment and not for profit.

Timing and Spoilers: Set a few weeks after "Grave" with plenty of spoilers for that episode.

Summary: A demon hasn't taken physical form in over a thousand years, and he needs to take a human host to do it. He has specific requirements for a host and only one human meets his needs: Xander Harris.

*****

"Are we sure about this?" Willow asked.

She and Buffy stood together, side by side, facing north. Giles and Anya stood facing southwest and southeast, with their shoulders touching Willow's and Buffy's at an angle. If they'd had a fifth person, they would have formed a triangle, with the fifth person standing facing directly south. But a fifth person would have ruined everything; the triangle had to be incomplete for the spell to work.

Below them, a fire burned on. It rapidly consumed Weatherly Park and was slowly working its way across the nearest cemetery, Crestfield Cemetery. In a matter of hours, the fire would spread to encompass the rest of the town. From their vantage point on Kingman's Bluff, Buffy and Willow could make out the figures of firemen as they rushed back and forth along the burning tree line, trying to dose it out. Water would never put out that fire. Only the Scoobies stood a chance, and all four of them were afraid of failure.

Willow had sworn never to do magic again yet here she was. She knew there was no other way; if they didn't do this, there would be no stopping what was coming. That wasn't what she was really nervous about. She was worried because the spell had such a slim chance of succeeding, However, it was their only chance of ending this, of making everything as normal again as things could get.

Buffy took a moment to consider her best friend's question. "No," she finally answered, "but we have to."

It wasn't the answer she was looking for, but Willow wasn't about to back out now. She couldn't. She took a deep breath and nodded, then grabbed Buffy right hand. Buffy reached behind her with her other hand and Anya took it. Giles grabbed onto Willow's hand. Then the four friends titled their heads up to the sky and stared at the stars above them. Fireballs whirled past their vision, but they did their best to ignore the deadly projectiles and kept their gazes locked on the twinkling white lights beyond. After thirty seconds had passed, they began to chant.

"Rajhamon, ruler of the fires of the Earth and what's below

Here for the Roast, you have made a Host of your Foe

We challenge you; here, we four stand

Friends of your Foe, we stand hand-in-hand

We challenge you, leave the shell you have claimed for the Roast

Show us your true strength, of which you boast

Stop hiding behind this body you claim for a Host!"

A sound unlike anything they'd ever heard before arose. None of them were sure what to call it. It was the mixture of a howl, a wail, and a scream of outrage. At first, it sounded like it had come from the town itself. On second thought, the four thought it came from the burned-out shell of the high school where the closed mouth of hell was located. Then the sound seemed to expand. It came from the growing fires in the town below them. It came from the fireballs shooting through the air above them. It came from the fires burning below them. It came from every direction their ears could perceive. It was unbearable. The four friends suppressed the urge to cover their ears as much as they could. They couldn't break formation now. They would be dead if they did.

A figure materialized on the bluff. He stood only a few feet from the open point in the triangle. Giles and Anya, since they were standing at an angle to him, saw him first, and both instinctively squeezed Buffy and Willow's hands tighter than before.

The figure before them glared at them, his face twisted up in an angry snarl. Fire blazed his eyes in place of pupils. He wore dark clothing, blacker than the night. A fiery red shadow of a giant phoenix rose up behind the figure, framing him and the four in bright, blazing heat.

Rajhamon truly was a magnificent creature inside his Host. The only thing that stopped the four from turning tail and running in fright was the fact that they knew his Host, and they all knew that this was their only shot at saving both him and Sunnydale.

They directed their gazes back toward the stars and began the chant for a second time. Only ten feet away from them, the body of Xander Harris, unwitting Host to the Phoenix Rajhamon, titled his head up toward those same stars. Behind him, his fiery shadow copied his movements, and both let out an agonized, inhuman screech.

*****

*****

The night sky had always been clear on top of Kingman's Bluff. It was never as visible down in the town, but on the grassy cliff, stars could be seen for miles around. In one direction, Buffy could make out the Big Dipper; in another was the Little Dipper. She didn’t know any of the other constellations by name, but it didn't matter. Her thoughts weren't even focused on the stars she gazed at. Instead, they were concentrated on the town she could see at the base of the bluff. She'd lived there, Sunnydale, for five and a half years now. She knew all about the dangers lurking there, both human and demon alike. At this altitude, however, the town looked peaceful and safe. Which was pretty strange considering what she knew took place on this very bluff.

The first time she'd been there had been in the December of her senior year of high school. She'd come up to Kingman's Bluff to find Angel standing there, looking down at the town just like she was doing. The sky had already turned to twilight, and Angel was determined to stay there until the rising sun burnt him into a crisp. The only thing that had saved him was a sudden snowfall, obscuring the sun for the entire day.

More recently, one of her best friends had come up to the bluff in an attempt to bring about the end of the world. Buffy glanced behind her. The steeple that Willow dug up from its resting-place was still out in the open and overlooking the town of Sunnydale. Someone other than Buffy had stopped that from happening, too. Xander's love had been enough to get Willow to return to her old self. Buffy still wished she'd been able to help, but was grateful that Xander had risked his own life to get their Willow back.

She glanced back down at the town again. She needed to get back home. She was still worried about Willow's condition, and Giles was still healing from the battles he'd fought against Willow. Buffy also had to work the next day and needed to get a few hours of sleep. She wasn't worried as much about Dawn. Dawn had proved that she could take care of herself. Buffy smiled at that thought. She was proud of her sister and was glad that she'd finally cut Dawn some slack; the younger girl really had needed it, and Buffy was able to relax a little now that her sister had proven herself.

As she turned toward the path that led down the bluff, she glanced back up at the night sky. She froze.

Two shooting stars appeared seemingly of nowhere. Buffy watched as they sped towards each other before colliding. A shower of white sparks sped towards the earth only to dissipate half way down.

What the hell was that? Buffy wondered. It hadn't looked natural at all. She knew it would have to be investigated, and was once again grateful for Giles' return. She quickened her pace, hoping she could explain everything quickly and still get at least five hours of sleep.

*****

Xander wearily entered his apartment. Moonlight streamed through the large window in the far wall. It was enough illumination that he didn't even bother turning on the overhead. He just took off his jacket, let it drop on the sofa chair, and walked into the bedroom. He stripped to his boxers and climbed into the bed, laying back on it with a thud.

It had been a long day. First, he'd accompanied Willow on her second visit with the Watcher Council's visiting psychiatrist. Willow hadn't let go of his hand the entire time. Then, they'd gone back to the Summers' residence and spent a few hours with Giles and Dawn while Buffy was still at work. Giles was staying over there while he healed. Xander had steered the conversation away from what they'd talked about with the psychiatrist and toward more pleasant things. Then, just as he was leaving, Anya showed up. Everything about them was awkward, and Xander was happy to get out of there after only a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

It had been an emotionally draining day, and Xander was glad that it was over. He began to drift off the sleep.

Out in the living room, a breeze wafted into the apartment from the crack under the front door. In stirred up parts of the day's newspaper as the breeze blew by the dinner table, and made Xander's jacket sway a little.

The breeze entered Xander's bedroom through the crack under that door. It sped by Xander, making him shiver. He opened his eyes, a little puzzled. His tired mind couldn't remember putting on the air conditioning. He decided to ignore it and shifted in the bed, closing his eyes again.

Before he could fall completely asleep, the breeze rushed by his face again, bringing along what sounded like a whispered voice. It said, "Enjoy peace while you can, Alexander LaVelle Harris. You will be mine soon enough, and then you will know the true meaning of death and destruction."

It startled him. His eyes flew up and he sat up, looking around his bedroom in alarm. That voice…there was no way he could have imagined it. Whatever it was, there was no way he'd fall asleep now.

What am I talking about? There wasn't a voice. You were dreaming it, Xander thought to himself. Already, the adrenaline was wearing off and he was feeling tired again. Convincing himself that he imagined it all, Xander lay back on the bed. A half-hour later he was fast asleep.

He didn't notice when the breeze left his apartment. The voice it carried laughed the entire way.

A few hours later, Xander tossed and turned in his sleep. Intense pain crossed his face before it was replaced by horror. A minute later, he shot up in bed, panting from the nightmare he'd just had.

He'd dreamed about charred flesh and fire and screams. It was one of the most nauseating nightmares he'd ever had. As he remembered the smell of burning human flesh, Xander could feel hot bile rise in his throat. He quickly ran into the bathroom before throwing up.

When he was done, he sat, shivering, on the bathroom floor. He felt sick. The imagined stench of things burning still filled his nose, and he suppressed the urge to barf again. He tried to remember the details of the dream but found he couldn't.

"It was just a dream, Harris," he told himself as he shakily got back onto his feet.

He couldn't fall asleep again for the rest of the night.

*****

When his alarm clock beeped again at seven thirty, Xander groaned and rolled over in bed. He'd only lightly dozed since that nightmare. Knowing that there was no way that he'd be much use at work, he called the site and gave his crew the day off.

Three hours later, he gave up trying to get some solid sleep, wearily got dressed, and walked over to the kitchen. He cracked some eggs into a pan and placed it on the stove. He tried turning the knob, but the gas didn't ignite. He turned the knob the other way but still nothing happened. Tired and cranky, and now frustrated, Xander kicked the side of the oven beneath the stove, only to result in a bruised toe. It made him curse.

He sighed. Giving up, he switched off the stove and grabbed onto the pan's handle.

He heard flames ignite below the pan. He moved the pan to the side and stared at the cooking fire in dumbfounded amazement. He was about to place the pot back down when the flames suddenly rose higher, creating a two-foot high wall of blazing heat.

Xander quickly got out the way and stared at it as it continued to climb. "Shit," he cursed as he hurried over to the cabinet where he kept the extinguisher. He quickly released its gaseous contents onto the wall of fire. It didn't work. The fire wouldn't go out.

"Oh, no. I'll be damned if I'm going to let some damn Hellmouthy fire thing burn down my nice, affordable apartment," he muttered to himself. He put down the fire extinguisher and, in a last attempt to stop the flames, waved his hand at it. "Stop burning, you damn stove-"

Before he could even complete the sentence, the flames went out, seemingly of their own accord, leaving behind the fire extinguisher's useless fumes. Xander stared down at his hand, then waved it toward the stove again. Nothing happened. He motioned toward it again and said, "Come on. Ignite already."

A two-inch high flame ignited on top of the stove, but this time on a different burner. Xander waved his hand again and said, "Stop." The flame died out.

Xander glanced from his hand to the stove and back again. After staring at them both for several minutes, he threw on his coat, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.

*****

"I can offer no explanation," Giles said simply. "Coffee, especially American coffee, just isn't what it used to be."

Giles took another sip before setting his mug down in disgust. Dawn raised an eyebrow. The two of them sat on either side of the kitchen counter, and Willow sat at Dawn's right. At least six volumes were stacked to the side, and all three had three more open in front of them.

"Okay," Willow said, uncertain what to say to that. "Anyone find anything?"

"It says here that 'portents associated with shooting stars warn astrologers of the coming of a drastic change,' if that helps," Dawn said.

"Yes, I think it does," Giles said, "considering that whenever anything strange happens on the Hellmouth, it tends to bring about a 'drastic change.'" He sighed and muttered to himself, "Knowing what changes will be occurring this time would of course be extremely helpful."

Xander walked into the kitchen. Following him was Buffy, still clothed in her Doublemeat Palace uniform.

"Hey Xander, Buffy. How'd you get off work?" Willow asked Buffy.

Buffy took the empty stool at the counter. "Gas stove wasn't working. They can't sell any more burgers or anything until they get it fixed, so I got off for the rest of the day." She turned to Xander. "What did you want to talk about? You seemed pretty freaked outside."

Everyone's concerns turned to him. Xander looked decidedly freaked over something. "Are you all right, Xander?" Giles asked.

"Well, that depends on your point of view," the younger man answered, looking nervous. "I can start fires. Without matches or exploding substances. Let me show you." He waved his hand at the stove and said, "Ignite." Suddenly all four burners on the stove had open flames. It made everyone jump. Xander waved his hand again. "Stop." The flames died out.

Everyone stared. "How did you do that?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Xander answered. "All I know is that when I got home last night, I thought I heard a voice on the wind. Then I went to sleep and dreamt about something burning. I can't remember what. Then, when I finally got out of bed this morning, my own stove wasn't working and I got frustrated and all of a sudden a two-foot tall flame shot up from the stove."

Giles considered what he said for a long moment. "What time would you say the dream took place?"

"Well, I woke up after it, and it was around two in the morning then."

"That was when I saw those shooting stars collide last night," Buffy said.

"Huh? Shooting stars?" Xander asked.

Buffy filled him in. Afterwards, Dawn asked, "So, they're related?"

"It seems most likely," Giles confirmed.

"So what do I do?" Xander asked.

"Let's see how well you can control your new…ability," Giles said after another moment of quiet contemplation. "Buffy, Willow, Dawn, please continue doing research. Try to find some connection between astrological signs and fire-controlling powers." With that said, Giles ushered Xander toward the kitchen door. He wanted to test Xander's new power out in the backyard. Hopefully the younger man wouldn't start the house on fire.

Xander was about to step through the door when he jerked to a stop. The women sitting around the kitchen isle hadn't stopped staring at him since he lit those fires on the stove, so they were instantly concerned. "What is it?" Dawn asked him.

"Demon," Xander answered. He turned back to them. Everyone gaped. All of them could see two flames dancing wildly inside Xander's irises. He didn't seem to notice. His fiery eyes swept the room. "A demon's about to teleport over here."

Right after he said that, a flash of light appeared behind Willow and Dawn, materializing into Anya. Willow and Dawn whirled to face her, surprised yet again to see that Xander was right. "How did you know?" Willow asked Xander. He shrugged.

Anya looked questioningly at Willow, but then decided to let it slide. "Hey, guys. Xander," her eyes grazed over Xander's eyes briefly only to return a second later in a wide-eyed stare. "You're….you're a vessel?"

"'Vessel?' Do you know something about this, Anya?" Giles asked.

Anya looked absolutely freaked. Fear and uncertainty had replaced the awkwardness and anger she usually felt around her ex-fiancé.

Xander saw her shake and swallowed. He'd never seen her look so scared and wondered why. Maybe she could sense that there was something wrong with him, like he could sense her? His scalp had tingled ever since she teleported into the kitchen, and he had to fight not to scratch it.

"Uh, Xander? You might want to take a look at your eyes," Dawn said. She pointed at the reflective surface of the back of the oven. Confused but looking for something to distract him from that damned itch, Xander walked over there. He jumped in shock when he saw the flames dancing inside his pupils.

"What the hell?" he asked. He blinked, but the flames didn't go away. "Giles, what the hell is going on?" He turned to Anya. "What did you mean by calling me the 'vessel?'" He'd heard her call him a lot of things, but that was not one of them.

"It's your eyes," she explained. "I've seen that happen to two humans before, and by the end of the week they'd been taken over by some heavy-duty demons. Flames in the pupils are the mark given to a chosen host."

"Taken over? Host? Are you saying that some demon is going to possess me?" Xander didn't want to believe her. He couldn't. He so did not want to be possessed. He'd already been possessed by a hyena. Once was enough as far as he was concerned. However, he knew that Anya wouldn't lie about this no matter how much she hated Xander.

"Do you know who might try to possess Xander?"

"I can think of a few," Anya said, "Do you have any special powers?" she asked Xander.

He nodded. "I can control fire."

"That narrows down the list," Anya told them. "I can think of three demons, but my best guess would be Jycen. If it's not him, it's either Rajhamon or Ilian, but those two have been laying low during last century or so and it's doubtful they'd do something now."

"We could try a un-possessing spell," Willow suggested. Her eyes widened. "Not that I'd be performing it. You could do it, Giles. The spell doesn’t require a powerful witch or anything, so I won't be doing it. Not that I would if it did need a powerful witch,' cause I don’t do that anymore." She decided to stop trying to talk comprehensibly.

"Yes, I think that sort of spell would be our best shot. Uh, thank you, Willow," Giles said.

"Okay, then," Buffy said, standing up. "Dawn, let's go upstairs and get some supplies."

Part Two

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