Osugi Suzuno was Byakko no miko one hundred years before Miaka and Yui came into the Shijintenshisho. She was the daughter of Osugi Takao who received the book from his friend, Okuda Einosuke, the father of Genbu no miko, Okuda Takiko. Takiko had called the animal god and been absorbed by it. Her father had to kill her to save her before her spirit was destroyed. Einosuke gave the book to Takao and told him to keep it safe.
Suzuno saw the book one day and, curious, she opened it and began to read. In doing so, she invoked the magic of the book and found herself in Sairoukoku. Like Miaka and Yui, Suzuno was concerned with getting home, but she was quickly identified as Byakko no miko and asked to protect Byakko's country. Suzuno met her seishi Tokaki, Subaru, Amefuri, Karasuki, Ekie, Toroki and Tatara.
From the first moment they saw each other, Tatara and Suzuno were in love. When Suzuno called the god and assured Sairou's safety, her one wish was never to be parted from Tatara, but Byakkoseikun regretfully told her that that was the one wish he could not grant. Two people from different worlds could not live together.
Suzuno sadly returned to her world and left Tatara behind, vowing that she would never forget him. Although Suzuno married and adopted a grandson, Toki, she never did stop thinking about the man she loved sealed away from her in the book.
In his own world, Tatara, kept young by Subaru's magic in order to protect Byakko's shinzahou, waited for nearly a century, always hoping that one day his miko would return to him.
Although they were never reunited in life, ninety years later, when Tatara lay dying after his fight with Miboshi and Suzuno, an old woman in her world, told her story to Keisuke and Tetsuya, Tatara spoke these words:
"Even though we knew we would be parted, I and Suzuno, the Byakko no Miko loved one another. When the time for parting came, and we couldn't meet again, we had no regrets. Someday, back in her world, she'd marry another man, have children... but if that would make her happy... if the woman I love became happy... then I saw that as my own happiness. Our hearts were tied together so, even though we lived in different worlds, we were together and all this time... all this time... I wouldn't let go of that belief."
When the two died at the same moment, Tatara's ghost appeared outside of Suzuno's house in the snow. From Suzuno's body rose the figure of her as she was when she was with Tatara, a young girl. While Keisuke, Tetsuya and Toki looked on, the two ghosts ran to each other and embraced. "Tatara," Suzuno said. "We'll always be together."
Quotations taken from Blossom of Love...a Tatara and Suzuno Shrine
Read this lovely (but sad) Tatara/Suzuno songfic by Kai Ling, Living Without You
And another excellent story by Andrea here.
Kawaku daichi ni furisosogu ame
Inochi no ibuki ga kikoeru
Tatoe wakare ga matsu deai demo
Aisazu ni wa irarenakatta
Seed...Boku no naka de...Seed...mebaeta no wa
Seed...kimi to iu saiai ni
Ten to daichi wa hanareteitemo
Otagai o mitsumeatteiru
Toki o koete unmei o koe
Kimi to tomo ni ikiteirun da
Seed...Boku no naka de Seed...hagukumu no wa
Seed...kimi to iu yorokobi ni
Betsu no sekai ni itemo kokoro wa hitotsu ni musubareteiru
Seed... Boku no naka de Seed... hanasaku no wa
Seed... kimi to iu eien
Forever Forever Forever
The rain falls upon the dry earth
The breath of life can be heard
Even if it's an encounter where our parting is inevitable
I couldn't have lived without your love
Seed...What has grown...Seed...inside of me
Seed...is you my beloved
Even if the heavens and earth part
We'll be gazing at each other
Exceeding time exceeding fate
I live together with you
Seed... What has been brought up Seed... inside of me
Seed... is you, my happiness
Even when you're in the other world our hearts are joined as one
Seed... What blooms Seed...inside of me
Seed...is you, my eternity
Forever Forever Forever
