Shiori Takatsuki was the friend who "stole" the affection of a boy from Jury. She didn't know it, but Jury's affection was not for the boy, but for Shiori. She returns to Ohtori Academy sometime in the Black Rose Saga, and Jury is rather cold to her. Shiori thinks it is because she stole the boy that Jury had a crush on, but Jury firmly tells her that she never had any feelings for him. Jury throws away her locket and it somehow ends up in Shiori's dorm room, *looks pointedly at Akio and Mikage* where she looks in it and sees that she is the real one that Jury loves. This makes Shiori feel a lot better, because she now feels superior to Jury. She had, ever since they were young, felt a sense of inferiority when around someone as pretty and talented as Jury. She, however, is still not very pleased about the way Jury is treating her. She now knows Jury's true feelings and she doesn't understand why Jury is being so cold to her. So, like everyone else in this saga, she goes to see Mikage at Nemuro Memorial Hall. Becoming a Black Rose Duelist, she draws Jury's sword from her chest and duels Utena. I don't remember what was on the desks during Shiori's duel... lockets, maybe. Well, I bet you can't guess who wins ;) Later, she reappears when Ruka Tsuchiya returns to the Academy. She developes an interest in him, and he finds out that she has been polishing his sword for him every day that he has been absent. They become a couple, much to Jury's wrath, which makes Shiori even happier. Jury tells Shiori not to trust him for various reasons, but Shiori just blows her off, all happy and feeling superior again. When Shiori goes to meet Ruka at the fountain, where they usually meet, she finds Touga. He does his little speech about hearing the things running about the Ends of the World, and Shiori gets taken for a ride in the Akio-Car. She acts as Ruka's Rose Bride when he challanges Utena to a duel (why, I still haven't figured out). He then refuses to fight, stating that he won't duel while Shiori is his Rose Bride. She tells him that she did everything for him, she even polished his sword... Ruka informs her that he knows perfectly well that that wasn't his sword she had been taking care of. She had been lying all along, and he knew it. Personally, I think it was Jury's sword that she had been polishing, but it never actually comes out and says that. Hardly anything is actually said on this show, if you know what I mean.


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