No fancy gizmos

Hi I am completely new to growing my own shit but I got many questions. First, is there ANY way I can grow something in a large cup and then maybe once it sprouts transplant it outside or into something bigger. Also what's all this crap about ventalation and light source and stuff that I see in other posts? Can I get a seed to sprout without all this stuff. I have to keep this well hidden so I'll have to keep it in a cup until it sprouts. Can it SPROUT without an overhead light source cuss if it did I could move it outside where it gets all teh real light it needs. My last question is how deep should I plant the seeds and how much does it need watered and last but not least how long until I get a sprout???

*Remember I want to try to get this done without all the fancy stuff that some of you use. I can't get it ventalation and I can't have a light over it in the house. I just want to plant the seed and get it to sprout then move it outside or something. Surely I don't need much to just get a sprout??*

How hard can it be to grow? It's just a plant isn't it :D