Episode Seven, Juri’s Unfulfillment, speaks to Juri’s disbelief that miracles exist in this world.

It opens with Juri fencing and a voice over of her as she defeats opponent after opponent.  She says:

Juri: See, I have no choice but to give up.
Juri: After all, there are no such things in this world as miracles.
Juri: So what would I possibly gain?
Juri: Would I break the world's shell?

She seems to be trying to justify something to herself.  She defeats fencer after fencer and at the same time she is struggling to defeat the thing that bothers her the most; her unrequited love for another person who will never return her love.  A person in fact, who responds to Juri’s attention by intentionally trying to hurt her. That person is Shiori.

Takatsuki Shiori no longer attends Ohtori Academy, thankfully for Juri.  They attended school together when they were younger, however.  They had a common friend, a boy, whose name is never given in the show, as the name is unimportant.  The boy developed feelings for Juri, but Shiori also fell in love with him.  So she decided to ‘steal’ him from Juri by telling him that Juri was in love with someone else.  This is ironically true; Juri is in love with Shiori, though Shiori does not know this yet. 

Shiori simply knew that Juri had feelings for someone else; she had no idea that Juri had feelings for her.  If she had known, she probably would have reacted far more vindictively, as she does later on in the show, when she does discover this.

Shiori: Believe in a miracle, that your wish come true.
Juri: But I knew... that this romance would never be fulfilled.
Juri: "Believe in a miracle, that your wish come true."
Juri: That was her favorite phrase.

One thing that is very apparent is how deep Juri’s love for Shiori must have been, and still must be, because of how much this line affected and still affects Juri.  She thinks of it compulsively throughout this episode and it drives her actions.  Juri believed in miracles in the past, she believed that Shiori would return her affections.  She wanted that wish to come true, foolishly, even though she realized somewhere along the way that it was impossible. 

There are many different kinds of ‘love’ in Shoujo Kakumei Utena.  There is erotic love that Touga is involved in, just for the sexual gratification. There is manipulative love, though this isn’t really love per se, at least not in most circumstances, such as Akio’s escapades in which he uses sex and romance to further his own ends, and for his own amusement.  A disclaimer on all things Akio: trying to assign exact motives and definitions to Akio is far more difficult than I am prepared to attempt and so I'll leave his analysis to much more dedicated fans than me, this bit is purely for example and has now taken up far more space than I wanted.  So.  Next.

The other kind of love in SKU is the most beautiful kind of love: pure love of someone for someone else, without hidden motivations, without masked agendas, and without stipulations. Absolutely unconditional love exists in only two places: Utena for Anthy, and Juri for Shiori.  Utena wishes fervently to become a prince to save her princess, though it takes her some time to figure this out precisely. Juri, by the time we meet her in the series, has come to understand that Shiori will never love her the way that she might wish, and Juri only wishes for Shiori to be happy. 

Shiori: So, I don't regret stealing him from you...
Shiori: ...because that's what I hoped for from my heart.
Shiori: Believe in a miracle, that your wish come true.
Shiori: You must hate me for being like this.
Juri: Thank you for your letter. I'm more than happy to know you're doing fine.
Juri: As I read each word of your letter,
Juri: I can't help but realize how the days have passed.
Juri: Back then, the three of us did everything together.
Juri: It was really fun.
Juri: But now, when I look at the two of you, beaming with happiness,
Juri: I feel nostalgic and envious...

Juri says that she’s ‘more than happy to know you’re (Shiori) doing fine.”  She tries to content herself with the fact that she thinks (hopes?) Shiori is happy.  This is evidenced by how often Juri thinks of Shiori, and by several protective actions later on in the series.  Juri has never told Shiori how she feels about her because she knows that Shiori won’t return this affection, and presumably she imagines that this would upset Shiori as well.  When it later happens, it doesn’t upset Shiori, so much as it amuses her, and she turns this amusement to cruelty towards Juri.  And even this doesn’t stop Juri from wanting her to be happy.  The love is painfully unconditional and it is a big factor in how jaded Juri has become.

Though Juri claims that she is happy to know that Shiori is happy, she isn’t being honest with herself, because she isn’t happy.  She knows that she can’t change the situation and tries to come to terms with this unhappiness.  She cannot admit this unhappy-ness to herself and so it manifests itself in other aspects of her life.  Her extremely demanding expectation of perfection in her own fencing is one example of an outpouring of this conflict.  It must find an outlet somewhere for her to be able to manage it, and this shows in her fencing.  She is a powerful fencer and rarely loses. 

It is because of this anger that she lashes out at Anthy as well when she slaps her across the face.  Anthy offers Juri a rose; a rose in Juri’s color, exactly as Shiori once did, seeming to mock this very conflict that Juri struggles with.  In doing this Anthy pushes just the right button and demonstrates how even Juri can be controlled if you know just how to do it.  This is one of the earlier hints as to Anthy’s true nature, showing her not to be nearly so mindless as most everyone else suspects.  A subject for an entirely different dissertation which I will leave (along with Akio) to someone more qualified.

One other outlet for this mixed emotion is shown in her outburst and challenge of Utena.  Utena finds her one evening and speaks of how she came to Ohtori to find her prince.  Juri becomes angry with her.

Juri: Your Rose Signet, throw this ring away!
Juri: It's disgusting! Your so-called nobility is to copycat as someone you love told you!
Juri: Yes, fighting over the Rose Bride
Juri: is just as stupid as your sentiment to your prince!
Juri: However, to be qualified for that, you must be truly noble!
Juri: The Rose Signet doesn't suit a girl the likes of you!
Utena: No!
Utena: This is my one and only tie with him. I won't lose it, no matter what!
Juri: Then show me what you call a "miracle!" My sword will show its true nature!

...

Juri: It's just as I said yesterday.
Juri: If you beat me with the power of miracles, you're entitled to your conceit.
Utena: I won't be beaten by you, power of miracles or not.

Juri challenges Utena to a duel, not so much because she wants to win the Rose Bride from her, but because as Touga claims (and Juri does not disagree with) that Juri “wants to disprove the power of the Rose Bride, the power of miracles.”  Juri is confident that Utena is a naïve little girl and perhaps she even thinks that she is doing Utena a ‘favor’ in disabusing her of this ridiculous notion, before she can be hurt by a miracle that, in Juri’s experience, will never happen.

Though, this duel is not an act of selfless kindness on Juri’s part, though that might be a small motivation for it, it is really more an attempt on Juri’s part, to resolve this conflict.  If she can only prove that miracles truly do not exist then the fact that her own ‘miracle’ failed, will seem less tragic.  If she can prove this, then it wasn’t so foolish to believe in it herself.  This is very important to Juri.

Juri fights with the bravado and confidence of one who knows that her skill is superior.  She is certain that she will be able to defeat Utena and she behaves accordingly, taunting Utena as she dominates the fight entirely.  As it draws to a close Juri executes a very impressive fencing move and knocks Utena’s sword from her hand, sending it flying.

Juri: Isn't a miracle going to happen yet, prince?
Juri: That's quick!
Juri: "Believe in a miracle" was your favorite phrase... But all the same,
Juri: THERE ARE NO MIRACLES!

The sword comes down again and cuts Juri’s rose from her pocket, and she is stunned. 

Juri: No! This is just a coincidence...
Juri: It has nothing to do with miracles.
Utena: Impossible...
Anthy: May your wish come true someday.
Juri: Mind your own business.
Touga: So, do you admit the existence of miracles?
Juri: Who knows?
Juri: But if she really does have the power to revolutionize the world,
Juri: I'll wrest it from her with my own hands.
Touga: So your secret wish will be granted?
Shiori: You must hate me for being like this...
Juri: Yes, I do. Because you're not even aware of my wish.

Juri protests that it is just a coincidence, but her confidence is very shaken and she has to wonder.  She doesn’t want to believe that it was a miracle, she can’t allow herself to believe it, because she doesn’t believe in miracles.  Or so she says.

She refuses to confirm or deny any change in thinking when Touga asks her, and seems even more determined.  Is it because, as Touga suggests, that she wants this secret wish to be granted?  Well, probably.  It would be ridiculous to think that Juri wouldn’t want Shiori to love her if it were possible, the tragedy lies in the fact that she knows that Shiori never will, and so her wish is impossible.  Unless... perhaps she can gain the power to revolutionize the world.  Maybe, just maybe then impossible things will become possible.