A/N: Well, this is my fourth Fairy Tail fanfic. Though I wouldn't exactly call the others 'light' stories, this one is definitely darker than the others. The inspiration for this story was The Suicide Circus by the GazettE (in case you're not familiar with them, they're a Visual Kei band, and they freaking ROCK, so go check them out. Especially that song mentioned above. It will really set the mood). So if you don't like violence and dark themes, this is probably not the story for you.

Anyways, this story is almost exclusively a Jerza fanfic, though I might throw in some slight Gralu later. Way later. But just so we're clear, this is your only warning, folks: I don't want to hear any bitching about "Where's Jellal?" or "What about [whoever blah blah blah]?" I will take their relationship at my own pace. That is final. Now, friendly questions about pacing or appearances are welcome, but I WILL get pissed if anyone asks any of the above bolded questions or anything with a similar complaining tone. Be warned.

Now that the mean part is out of the way, I'll go ahead and tell you all that constructive criticism is still welcome! Especially since I'm actually thinking about making this fanfic into an original story as well, though it will most likely end up being quite different. Just let me know if you have any suggestions, and I'll see what I can do. :)

Phew. If I haven't scared you away by now, kudos to you. Now if you would just be so kind as to drop a review, that would be most appreciated. :)

Chapter One – Welcome to the Suicide Circus
"Here is a Hell on Earth." ~the GazettE, The Suicide Circus

"Next up, we have the Queen of Death!" the announcer bellowed through his megaphone. "She may look pretty as a rose, but beware of this flower; she's all thorns! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…Titania!"

The crowd went wild as the man in his bright red suit and giant hat backed off the stage, one arm held out to herald my entrance. They had all seen my picture on the life-size posters hanging in the entrance to the circus, and again at the entrance to the main tent in its center. All they saw was the beautiful woman with the voluptuous body and long red hair, posed seductively in nothing more than black leather underwear that was connected to a bra covered in black sequins and feathers by two thin strips of fabric running down the sides of my stomach. They only saw the sultry curve of my lush red lips, the invitation in my eyes as I held out a hand and beckoned with a perfectly-manicured finger.

It was all they ever saw.

The fools. Their greed will be their death. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who is fool enough to set foot in this place deserves what they get.

Fixing my bright, seductive smile in place, I prepared to make my entrance. The black curtains that had been hung around me to conceal my presence fell away as I stood on cue. The crowd went wild when I appeared on the tiny platform at the top of the massive circus tent, my scarlet red hair glowing like a bloody flame on top of my head. It was done up in an elaborate circus-'do, complete with feathers stuck in the main bun. My face was so heavily painted with makeup that no one would ever recognize me without it.

Of course, I wasn't me right now. I was Titania, the Queen of Death. Erza Scarlet was locked securely away for the night, and would not reemerge until the morning.

Not until the revelers had all vanished from the world of the living.

My scarlet plumage fanned out behind me as I stepped off the platform, out into thin air. The audience gasped, some people shooting to their feet. They needn't have worried; I wasn't the one who would be dead before the morning sun crested the horizon. Everyone watched with bated breath as I plummeted through the air, my body arching into a perfect dive. Exhilaration rushed through me as I watched the ground draw closer. The stage was just a rickety old wooden platform, and yet it somehow managed to bear the brunt of all the crazy stunts we put it through night after night. The Ringmaster had disemboweled the last performer who had dared to tell him to replace it, right in front of all of us. Needless to say, no one would ever make that mistake again.

Now, as I neared it, a smirk twisted my lips. No matter how many times I performed this stunt, I never tired of the audience's reactions, which were just as fresh and amazed every time, since the audience was never the same. 1, 2, NOW! With a snap of sinewy wings, I pulled up out of the dive just in time to flip my feet beneath me and brush the tips of my black leather boots across the floor. The audience gasped when the black wings stretched out behind me, sharp claws protruding from their ends. I threw my arms out with a broad grin, as if to embrace the entire audience. Dipping into a bow, I flexed the wings that had literally materialized out of thin air. And yet, they were as much a part of me as my hands and feet.

They were formed by my magic.

Every one of the performers in our circus, the Cirque du Freaks, has a specialty in magic. Mine just happens to be the ability to call any weapon or piece of armor into existence. Others have the ability to wield fire or ice, or even create illusions with their mind. But the one thing in common that we have with our magic is that they all serve a common purpose; that is, they help us sow the seeds of death.

Magic is rare these days. The Ringmaster only employs those of us with strong magical ability, and among those, only those with potential for destruction. See, the thing that makes our circus special is the fact that we are led by a man who feeds on death. His magic is death. And from the time a person sets foot on the circus grounds, they have been marked for death. His magic guarantees that. Our magic supports his. Every time we perform, we let our magic seep out and infect the audience. The dark magic seeps into their blood, their mind, their soul. And by the time the sun rises on the next day, they have all effectively killed themselves.

No one, except we performers, can set foot in the circus and live to tell the tale. That is why we call it the 'Suicide Circus'.

Just as suddenly as they appeared, my wings vanished. The crowd thinks it's a clever trick with rigged canvas attached to me, and when they see nothing on my back but my smooth skin and the back of my sequined bra and underwear, they always start to wonder. But it never crosses their minds that it could be anything supernatural. And so I tilted my head up and laughed, though the audience could only see a pretty girl enjoying herself, so they laughed along and applauded. They had no idea that they were the object of my dark humor.

Now that I had made my entrance, it was time to get to the main event. I sauntered over to the side of the stage, where a contraption was sitting behind a black stage curtain. As I made a show of extending my arm dramatically towards it, my two assistants pushed it out into the open. Cheers went up from the eager audience as they saw what the act was—the Veiled Double Wheel of Death.

Lucy, my first assistant, was dressed in a skimpy pink leotard, her sumptuous assets practically hanging out of her sequined top. She beamed out at the audience, which roared its approval, and waved her hands at them. Once the wheel was in place, the gorgeous blonde sashayed over to one side of it while the other assistant, Cana, remained on the other side. The brunette was dressed in an identical outfit to Lucy's, though hers was all red. She was every bit as voluptuous as Lucy and me, much to the crowd's delight. The two women joined me at the front of the stage while I made a show of producing a 12-inch blade from the air.

Turning to Lucy with a secret smile meant just for her, I stroked the knife's tip seductively down her cheek and throat. The male population in the audience hooted as she leaned her head back, baring her throat to my blade. Her full pink lips parted in feigned pleasure as her eyelids drifted shut. Once the tip of the knife reached the cleavage of her breasts, I leaned in close and pressed my lips to her jaw. It was a good thing we were so close, or that part of the job would've been real awkward. As it was, the crowd went wild with cheers. Pervy bastards, this group, I thought with a mix of mild amusement and disdain. Pulling back, my two assistants sauntered over to the wheel. I bowed dramatically to the audience, my bright, confident stage smile firmly in place. Then I went over to help the girls into the contraption.

I removed the canvas cover to help them up into the interior of the wheel. Lucy was the first in, and I made sure to strap her securely in place before spinning it 180 degrees to help Cana in. Once both women were strapped firmly in place, I grabbed the canvas cover and flourished it before reattaching it to the wheel. Not even the tips of their heads could be seen. From the sidelines, our telekinetic started the wheel to spinning.

Backing away until I was almost at the very edge of the stage, I turned to face the audience again. "Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you…The Veiled Double Wheel of Death!" The crowd whistled and clapped as I faced the rapidly spinning wheel. As I lifted my hand into the air in preparation to throw the dagger, a hush descended over the audience. Everyone wanted to catch every second of this deadly spectacle. After all, I had turned my back on the wheel, so I had no idea where the two women were inside the wheel.

"Here I go," I muttered smugly as I let the dagger fly. The thunk of the dagger striking the wood at the back of the wheel resounded through the silent tent, and the crowd let out a collective breath.

But I wasn't done. Immediately, another knife appeared in my hand, and I released that one, too. It followed fast on the tail of the first, embedding itself in the wheel exactly 180 degrees from the first knife. The crowd cheered as a third and fourth knife joined the first two, slowly closing the gap between the knives and the women who were hidden beneath the canvas. I always enjoyed the knowledge that no matter how talented they were, no one else on earth could match my skill with a knife, and certainly no one else could pull off this stunt blind. And blind I was; contrary to the crowd's belief, I really had no way of knowing where beneath the canvas my assistants were. I relied purely on instinct. Thankfully, mine were among the best in the magic world, so I never missed my target.

Now that the first four knives were in place, it was time to get risky. Two knives materialized in my hand now. I fitted their blades between the fingers of my right hand. Murmurs rose from the crowd; was I really going to attempt to throw two knives into the wheel with only one hand?

Better—I was going to.

My darker hunger rose up within me. It always flared when I had a weapon in my hand, like it knew that I was a flick of a wrist away from ending someone's life. So much power…the possibilities are endless. I certainly wasn't about to kill Lucy and Cana, though. And yet, there was such joy to be found in just the mere act of throwing the weapons and proving my skill.

Like right now. I released the knives simultaneously, and they flew true to embed themselves alongside the other knives, an even two inches apart. Before the audience even had a chance to react, two more knives had joined the two on the other side.

I turned to the audience again and bowed. They began cheering, assuming that I was finished. Far from it. A dark grin spread across my face as I made three knives appear in each hand. Then I closed my eyes. Shutting out the gasps of fear and anticipation from the audience, I focused on the feel of my magic. It was like a magnet, pulling on me. I let it guide me as I whipped around with lightning speed and hurled the six knives into the air at the same time. My eyes remained closed until I heard the solid thunks and the disbelieving exclamations of the crowd. Bingo.

My eyes slid lazily open as I bowed to the crowd once more. Already, just from the small amount of magic I had used, I could see the black aura of death surrounding the people in the audience. The Master will be pleased with this turnout, I thought darkly.

As I strode towards the Wheel of Death, its momentum came to a halt. Feeling a little frisky today, I decided to have one last moment of fun with this particular act. I drew a sword from the air and spun it experimentally around a few times in my hand. Satisfied with the sharp whistling sounds it made as it passed through the air, I nodded and took a step back from the wheel. The spectators were all curious as to what I would do next. They call me the Queen of Death, do they not? Well, I'll give them something to really think about now.

Taking a deep breath, I hefted the sword and rammed it straight into the center of the canvas, right over where Lucy's heart would be. Actual screams rose from the crowd, as people could see no way for this to be just a clever stunt. I could already hear their little minds whirring as they tried to make sense of what I had just done. With a smirk, I slashed the blade to the side, lifted it and then slashed across the other line to make an X. There was no way I could have missed both of them with that.

As the throng of spectators shifted uneasily, I removed the canvas slowly. As I lifted it, the audience craned their necks to get a glimpse of the gore. Fortunately for them—or perhaps unfortunately?—there was none. Lucy and Cana weren't even scratched. I unfastened their bonds and helped them out. The one healer here had put a spell on them before the act to prevent dizziness and nausea, so they were able to stand steadily and smile brightly at the madly applauding people. I smiled slyly and held my arms out for recognition. Their cheering rose, and they still had no idea how I had done it. They would never know that my magic had allowed me to make the blade disappear up to the hilt as soon as it was plunged through the canvas.

My next few acts were short, and involved me 'swallowing a sword' and juggling flaming weaponry. Just boring stuff like that. By the time my final act had come to an end, the tent was full to bursting with people wanting to watch the Queen of Death. Taking a final bow, I grabbed the megaphone from the announcer and shouted to the crowd, "That's it for my scheduled performance tonight, folks! But if you want to see some more of my skills, I'll be in the Funhouse all night." I winked and swayed my hips seductively back and forth. I took my leave from the stage to the sounds of cat calls and thunderous applause. Just before I completely faded from view though, I sent a wave of pure dark magic at them. The first few rows of people already had glassy eyes as the magic took hold of their minds, driving all thoughts away but the need to slink into the darkness and end it all. After a few more hours, everyone in this circus would wear the same look. They would go through the attractions on auto-pilot, and then shuffle to their cars to drive home, where they would tragically perish with no known reason for the suicides. Any attempts at investigation by the law would be futile; they would fall prey to our magic, as well.

Satisfied that my work had been done here, I turned and descended the steps at the back of the stage, behind the thick black curtains. I could hear the hum of the bright lights overhead as I made my way to the back tent flap. Already, I could feel the darkness closing around me. Night was our domain; in the absence of light, only darkness can reign. The shadows provided the perfect cover. I inhaled the crisp night air, laced with sweat, fair food and fire as I pushed open the tent flap. The thick, red-and-white striped fabric swirled around me like a cloak as I stepped out into the waiting darkness.

Welcome to the Suicide Circus.

Well, I hope you all liked this chapter! This was more of a chapter for setting up the setting of the story. The next chapter will continue to paint the picture, but I hope it will be a little more interesting.

Let me know what you think in a review or PM! And of course, please favorite and follow! :D I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to read this.

Also, I hope to update this one pretty regularly. I'm shooting for a new chapter every two or three days, but we'll see. It may be summer, but my schedule is crazy busy! -.- And I have several camps coming up, back-to-back, so I won't be able to update during that time, but I will let you know ahead of time. Gahhh, I'm already suffering at the thought of being deprived of fanfiction for weeks on end... T_T