Uranus ♅ Troposphere ♅ Stratosphere
Thermosphere ♅ Exosphere ♅ Outer Space


106 "The Bond of Destiny! The Distant Days of Uranus"

A great deal of insight over the struggles (particularly) Haruka and Michiru went through in accepting their fates as sailor soldiers is shown in this episode.

In her past, Haruka wished to be "just like the wind, wrestling free from the domination gravity and plunging forth into the vast reaches of the sky." As all interpretations, I'd say she wished for liberation from all restrictions in life and go on into becoming something better. Looking back on her decisions back then, she came to believe she was simply fighting her destiny as a soldier. She wished to escape it. It was through such a destiny, however, did she come to find herself. Being a soldier changed her and took her to levels she never thought she was capable of.

Haruka competed in track-and-field and surpassed in it. She had even been better than Elza Gray, a girl who competes at National Championship level. She quit competing, however, when she became a soldier.

A year or so later, from assumption due to her being in junior high when she competed, Elza is attacked by the Death Busters. Haruka must watch as she waits for Michiru to arrive. During that time she watches with a regretful look upon her face and soon she recollects. She and Michiru once knew Elza. She had been the one to introduce them to each other.

Before she awoke as Uranus, she had been plagued with visions of the coming destruction. Neptune appeared in them, telling her the Silence was coming and only they could stop it by finding the Messiah.

She had one of those visions right before competing in a track-and-field race. During that time she excelled in whatever sport she chose, beating anyone and everyone in her path. It soon lost her interest as it came to be something to simply pass the time and she moved on to motor sports, which was the only thing that truly held her interest.

After winning her track race, Elza then introduced Michiru to her. First, Haruka seems stunned by Michiru's elegant appearance and intense gaze. It was when Michiru spoke a cryptic message about the wind, did Haruka realize she was the soldier in her visions. Michiru knew who Haruka was and that she had the destiny of a soldier.

Haruka was afraid of change, I'd say. Everything would change should she have taken up her role of a soldier, so she fought it. She thought it would hinder her dream.

At a later time on a cruise ship Michiru performs on her violin to diners. At that time she keeps away from people, making no friends. I believe she had given up on such a luxury because of her duty. Michiru knew one day she would likely have to hurt them in one way or another.

After hearing a bit of gossip about Michiru, Haruka rose to leave and on her way down some stairs she saw a painting that depicted her visions of destruction.

Michiru appears and asks her if she found her playing to her liking. She starts off with small chat, avoiding talking about the visions. Michiru was honored Haruka, the prodigious racer, had come. When Haruka notes the painting, Michiru avoids, by speaking about how famous the other was.

Haruka becomes tired of such and responds with a stereotypical take of Michiru being a well-to-do girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly and yet she could make art of such tragic fantasy. That gets Michiru to admit clearly she has the visions and she is well aware that Haruka does too.

Haruka by then is the top junior racer in Japan. She believes she is at her peak and is closer to her dream than ever before. She admits to having memories of her past life and the visions, but claims they have nothing to do with her present self. She is frustrated with Michiru investigating her and trying to make her join in the fight, believing Michiru chose to be a soldier willingly.

Michiru tells her not to say such selfish things. She had a dream she to be a professional violinist, but such a duty hinders that. Sarcastically, Michiru says she can't save the world from destruction because her dream is to be a violinist in order to make Haruka hear what sort of selfish things she had been saying. It does not deter Haruka, however.

Finally a day comes where she is going to the garage after leaving the circuit. There she finds a junior high Mugen Gakuen student having difficulties. He had been possessed and soon became a monster right before her eyes. She tries to ward if off but falters seeing that the boy is still in there somewhere. When she is down her lip rod appears, temporarily stopping the monster. Haruka is drawn to the object and almost touches it until Michiru stops her. Michiru seemed to have done the same thing in her past. At the time she did not know the consequences of grabbing hold of the rod, but instead of fighting it she chose to accept it. She had the decency to tell Haruka instead of letting her fall into the duty blindly. Transforming into Neptune, she then takes on the monster. Haruka is appalled and tells Neptune to stop or it will be murder.

Neptune is the one who began with the necessities of the mission. To kill the monster, there would be less victims. Despite that, Haruka continues to argue still finding it low and not right - just as Sailor Moon and team find them now. (People don't seem to notice that little tidbit.)

The monster attacks while they are off guard and Neptune takes the majority of the attack for Haruka, leaving the other stunned. She then finishes it off with her Deep Submerge. To her luck, the monster returned to human form. It relieves her, but she is certain one day she will end up killing someone.

Haruka hears her side. As a person, Michiru truly hates what tactics she must use, but as a soldier she knows it is necessary. She would fight.

Michiru soon enlightens Haruka on her investigating. It wasn't simply due to Haruka being the other soldier. She was attracted to her and had watched her first race. Haruka realizes Michiru truly cares about her when she admits she was the one who wished to be able to ride along with Haruka in her car along the beach.

She tells Haruka that she knows Haruka doesn't rely on anyone and that she is true to her own feelings. Haruka denies that, admitting she only runs away. Michiru still believes in her own words, because she knows Haruka better than she realizes. Michiru had always been watching over her and knows that no matter what the other does, she does it no matter what even if she has no support.

Despite they were never friends and only met sparingly, Michiru deeply cared for her and hoped to spare Haruka the pains of being a soldier. Seeing how much Michiru sacrificed, Haruka decided. She would be a soldier. Not because of duty, not because of not having a choice, but because of Michiru. She came to finally understand the other and acknowledge that she was a soldier and had the same duties as Neptune.

In all irony, I would say her becoming a soldier fulfilled her wish to go on into becoming something better. Sure, throughout the whole ordeal of being Sailor Uranus, she struggled with herself, questioned herself and became something along the lines of self-loathing. I think that the mission brought her to understand the fragility and power of the human will. She learned what people can truly be capable of and it is not always pretty. She learned that she could be one of those people, despite it was all with intentions for the greater good.

Despite the both of them lost so much, they had gained much too. They had been able to meet each other due to their destiny. At the end of the episode, Haruka notes she is happy about their meeting and indications about the cruising in her car together by the sea is shown fulfilled. Haruka somewhat teasingly suggest they drive on like that forever; she would not let her go home that night. Michiru smiles and exclaims a pleasant "Oh, my!"