Hey there, everyone! It's only me, LegitElizabethWWEFan... yet again. So, this oneshot that I've uploaded is actually my entry for Flame Falcon's Super Smash Bros Western Contest. I've never written anything in this particular genre, but I always, always enjoy a good challenge! I watched a shit ton of western movies & western TV shows in order to come up with what I think is a half-decent plot to write. It was far from easy, but I think I pulled it off! Don't get me wrong though: I thoroughly enjoyed writing this oneshot, and I can only hope that you guys like it, too.

Just to be clear, the large parts of the fanfic that is written out in italics are actually just snippets of one of my favourite poems ever. I wouldn't normally include such a thing in a fanfic (much less a contest entry), but I really wanted to drive home the fanfic's themes to all of you. Most of the poem's in here, but not all of it. That being said, I highly suggest that you read the poem once you're done reading this fanfic. Even if you think you hate poetry, you'll enjoy it! :)

Also, the title is actually a Michael Xavier quote in case you were wondering. I'm a literature nerd, I know. You have no reason to tell me that. But again, I thought the quote suited the fanfic to a T. So... sorry not sorry! XD

And finally, I would like to give a very special thank you to Flame Falcon for holding this fanfic contest! Like I said earlier, I really enjoyed writing this oneshot, and I never would have written it if you weren't holding this contest. Guys like you seriously kick ass. So again- thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for holding this type of contest!

I own absolutely nothing.

Anyways, please read & enjoy Wild Hearts Can't Be Tamed! :D

It little profits that an idle king,

By this still hearth, among these barren crags,

Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole

Unequal laws unto a savage race,

That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.

Samus was comfortably asleep in bed late one night. She rolled over to snuggle close to her husband in an attempt to warm up. It was a cold July night, and she wanted all the warmth she could find. But to her surprise, he wasn't sleeping beside her in bed.

Confused, she jolted awake and looked over on the empty spot beside her. She sat up and scanned the rest of the room, but she saw that she was still all alone. This bothered her greatly.

Where on Earth did he go? I hope he's okay, thought a worried Samus.

She couldn't help but be concerned for the well-being of Snake, her husband of five years and partner of three additional years. He hadn't been acting like himself for several weeks now. He was behaving in a distant manner from her and their daughter, and it bothered Samus a great deal. She had asked Snake about his state of mind on more than one occasion, but he always dismissed her concerns with a gruff, "I'm fine." He told her constantly to not worry about him, and to worry about herself and their daughter instead. Yet the more he dismissed her, the more that Samus found herself worrying more about him. All she wanted was to figure out Snake's state of mind once and for all.

Samus jumped when she heard someone walking around outside the bedroom. Admittedly, she felt like she was overreacting a little bit. It could've just been Snake, going to the bathroom or getting a quick snack. But it could've easily been an intruder trying to start trouble. Samus could feel her mind going crazy with her trying to make a decision on what her next move should be.

Guess I should just go and see what's going on instead of just sitting here wondering, she thought.

In an uncharacteristically apprehensive manner, Samus rose from her cozy king-sized bed. She glanced at her sleeping baby for a brief second, smiling at her angelic demeanour. Her smile then faded completely when she reached the knob of the bedroom door. She pressed her ear to the wooden door, and frowned at the small shuffling noises that could be heard from the other side. None of the noises sounded suspicious or scary at all, so Samus felt her racing heart calm down dramatically. But it didn't calm down completely, much to her disappointment. She was still quite nervous about what awaited outside the safety of her bedroom. She finally decided to take her chances and rip open the door.

As Samus tip toed on the somewhat creaky wooden floor, the shuffling noises got louder. It didn't take long for her to realize that the noises were coming from the entrance of her home. A puzzled expression formed on her face until her eyes settled on the unexpected sight.

Snake was organizing his large brown satchel with basic survival needs. An olive canteen of water was the latest thing he was putting inside the already full-looking bag. His body language and facial expression were both hard to read, but his actions certainly weren't; not for Samus, at least.

This can't be happening, thought Samus. He wouldn't do this. He wouldn't do this to his wife and daughter. How could he leave when we need him to provide for us?

Samus felt her heart drop as she silently watched her husband's movements. It explained why he'd been acting so detached recently. But it didn't fix the ache she felt deep within her. Her mind continued to run wild.

He told me he'd no long be a cowboy, she thought. How dare he lie to me?!

Her throat felt dry and thick. Yet she somehow managed to croak out two measly words that were pure fact.

"You're leaving."

Snake looked over at the woman that stood only a foot away. Her hair was a complete mess, the night clothes she was wearing were fairly dishevelled, and she just looked really, really tired. Yet it was easy for him to read the look of surprise that was etched on her delicate features. That last part about her appearance made Snake feel worse than he already did about what he was about to do.

"Samus…" he began. He tried to continue speaking, but he couldn't find the words to fix the situation. So he closed his mouth and tried to think of what to say next.

"I thought you weren't gonna be a cowboy anymore," said Samus suddenly. "You told me you'd settle down…be a husband…help raise our daughter. You promised you would, Snake. You promised."

"I know," replied Snake.

"Then why are you leaving?" asked Samus.

If Snake knew the proper answer, he would've given it to her without any hesitation. But he really didn't know what to say to the love of his life. Truthfully, he loved being a cowboy more than being a husband and father. When he was a cowboy, he was free to do whatever he wanted. He never had anyone telling him what to do or where to go. But being a husband and father meant that he held duties and rules he didn't want to fulfill. He wasn't free to be himself, and it bothered him immensely. In Snake's eyes, the choice of what to do with his life was more than obvious.

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink

Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd

Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those

That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when

Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades

Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;

For always roaming with a hungry heart

Much have I seen and known; cities of men

And manners, climates, councils, governments,

Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;

And drunk delight of battle with my peers,

Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.

Unfortunately, it meant having to hurt his loved ones' feelings in the process.

Snake focused back on loading his pistol before putting it in its holster. He also adjusted his brown and rust red cowboy hat that he was wearing. But the silence that grew between the couple was unbearable for the both of them. It made them both feel quite uncomfortable with each second that it grew. Each individual waited for the other to speak up in some way, shape, or form. In the end, it was Samus who took the initiative to finally break it.

"Why are you breaking your promise, Snake?" she questioned.

"Samus-" began Snake.

"You swore you'd stop this whole cowboy business," interrupted Samus with a newfound edge in her normally soft voice. "You said to me- and I quote- 'Samus, my love, I'm tired of being a cowboy. I hate not being with you and our baby. I hate how alone I am out there in the wild. I wanna stay with you and our little girl. I wanna watch her grow up just as much as you do. I promise to stay with you both until I draw my final breath.' Those were your exact words. Don't you remember saying all that? Or did you forget?"

Snake swallowed hard, but he didn't say a word in response.

"Please stay, Snake," begged Samus. She stepped closer so that they were just a centimeter apart. "Do it for our little girl, and do it for me- please. We can't live without you, and you damn well know that. For God's sakes, I know I can't live without you. I love you so, so much. I can't imagine you leaving us for good."

"I… I can't," was all that Snake was able to mutter out of his dry, distraught mouth.

"Why?"

Of course Samus was going to ask that particular follow up question. One of the shortest questions in the English language held the hardest, most complicated answer that he'd ever have to give in his lifetime. Yet Snake realized that every sentence, every word, and every syllable of his answer was nothing but the truth. That fact pained him the most because there was no way in hell he could turn this around and make Samus happy with it. It simply wasn't a possible thing to do. Left with absolutely no other options, Snake collected his emotions before responding.

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!

As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life

Were all too little, and of one to me

Little remains: but every hour is saved

From that eternal silence, something more,

A bringer of new things; and vile it were

For some three suns to store and hoard myself,

And this gray spirit yearning in desire

To follow knowledge like a sinking star,

Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

"Well…because I love being a cowboy. Out there, in the wild, I can be myself. I'm able to do whatever and say whatever, and no one has the guts to question me. I'm me- end of story. But here…I can't do any of that. I love you both, but… I'm unhappy just sittin' around this damn house. I wasn't meant to be a normal husband and father, Samus. I was meant to wander the land, helpin' out people any way I can.

"You know… we may be settlers here on this land. But let me tell you- there's nothing 'settled' about who I am. I have this…this wild spirit inside me that can't be put under control. I was supposed to be a cowboy, Samus. That was my destiny from the minute I was born. The only way I can keep my wild spirit tamed is my fulfilling my call as a cowboy. I can't imagine doing it any other way.

"I'm sorry, Samus. I wish I could tell you a reason that won't break your heart. But that'd mean havin' to lie to you, and I swore I'd never do such a thing. When we first met, I swore I'd never lie to you because you always deserve to hear the truth. You wanted to know why I'm leaving? Well, that's why. I'm leaving because I'm unhappy, and I wanna be happy again."

Snake had to look away from his now crying wife so he could finish organizing his things. By the time he'd finish, he was holding back tears himself. He was an emotional wreck, but he wasn't about to show her his sensitive side. He never had, and he wasn't about to begin.

"I love you, Samus. I'll always love you," he added in a distressed voice. "Don't think I won't stop lovin' you. I'm always gonna be in love with you. I'm serious. I have never ever been in love with another woman… and I can't imagine falling in love with another woman. I never will."

"But if you loved me, you wouldn't be leaving me. You wouldn't be leaving our daughter," said Samus matter of factly. "Don't you see that, you fool? Don't you understand how much you mean to us? How much we need you? Please… please don't leave. We need you."

She was right, of course. Samus was always right about these types of things. Snake couldn't argue with her statement- and he knew better than to try. But his heart kept telling him that he was madly in love with this woman- that was the truth. Whether she wanted to believe that was up to her; Snake wasn't about to try and convince her to. Once she'd made up her mind on something, she would never, ever change it. Snake respected that trait of hers, but in this moment, he loathed it a lot. He could only wish that he was able to change her opinion on him. But that was wishful thinking, and he knew it. He was far from a stupid man.

This wife and daughter meant so much to him that it killed him to leave them behind to start his life anew.

His daughter…The other girl in his life that he loved dearly…

What would she say when she got older?

Snake would just have to wonder as he walked the plains.

This is my son, mine own Telemachus,

To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—

Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil

This labour, by slow prudence to make mild

A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees

Subdue them to the useful and the good.

Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere

Of common duties, decent not to fail

In offices of tenderness, and pay

Meet adoration to my household gods,

When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

Not knowing what else to do, he kissed her head before leaving the home he and Samus now no longer shared. He got on his horse before heading off into the sunset. As he left, tears trickled down his cheeks. After all, the wild lands were the only place in the world where he could truly be himself. He was now free from everything.

You and I are old;

Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;

Death closes all: but something ere the end,

Some work of noble note, may yet be done,

Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep

Moans round with many voices.

"Snake, you bastard," muttered Samus as she continued to weep bitterly for her long gone husband. "I love you so much. I know I'm always gonna be in love with you. I wish I had never fallen in love with you in the first damn place. I've been a fool this whole time, thinkin' I could change your ways. But I was wrong. I was so wrong... and now I'm payin' the damn price."

I knew I would never be able to change that man's ways, she thought.

She went back to her room and kissed her still sleeping baby. She then crawled back into bed and cried herself to sleep. Yet as she cried, she knew in her heart of hearts that this pain would never go away. She was always going to miss her husband- and she hated herself greatly for it. How she would explain this to her daughter was far beyond her. Samus tried to not think about that, but it was far from an easy task to do.

Wild hearts just can't be tamed.

Too bad Samus and Snake both had to learn that particular lesson the hard way- each with heartbreaking consequences.

Come, my friends,

'T is not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

- "Ulysses", by Lord Alfred Tennyson

There ya go! I hope you all enjoyed it. That includes Flame Falcon and the judges, Smash King24 and concisponci. :)

Please review, and don't forget to check out all of my other fanfics!

- Elizabeth